Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Operation Overlord, the=
day during World War II on which the Allies invaded France, a giant m=
ilestone on the road to defeating Nazi Germany. The beaches were given the =
code names UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD. The invasion force included =
7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from&n=
bsp;eight allied countries. Almost 135,000 troops from the United States, t=
he British Commonwealth, and their allies, landed on the narrow beaches of =
France.
Add to that, more than 2,200 Allied aircraft=
began bombing German defenses and other targets in Normandy in the pre-daw=
n hours. They were followed by 1,200 aircraft carrying more than 23,000 American, British, and Cana=
dian airborne troops.
It’s tough t=
oday to understand the scope and risk that was involved in the invasion, an=
d to appreciate the sacrifices of the nearly 15,000 Allied soldiers killed =
or wounded that day..
The surviving men and women who fought and won the da=
y on June 6th (and eventually victorious in the entire World War=
) are now in their 90=E2=80=99s or older. Only about 100,000 of the 16.4 mi=
llion Americans who served in World War II are still alive. Their number is=
reduced to less than 1% of all who served.=C2=A0 Here are a few inspiring =
quotations to give us all a little bit of appreciation for what it might ha=
ve been like to be part of the invasion, or to wait with bated breath for n=
ews of what had happened.
"They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fig=
ht to end conquest. They fight to liberate."
— President Fra=
nklin D. Roosevelt’s official address announcing the invasion
"We’ll start t=
he war from right here."
–Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr.=
, son of the former president, who landed with his troops in the wrong plac=
e on Utah Beach
=
"The waiting for history to be made was the most difficult. =
I spent much time in prayer. Being cooped up made it worse. Like everyone e=
lse, I was seasick, and the stench of vomit permeated our craft." =
;
–Private Clair Galdonik
"They’re murdering us here. Let’s move inland =
and get murdered."
–Colonel Charles D. Canham, 116th Infantry=
Regiment commander, on Omaha Beach
&nb=
sp;
"I don’t feel that I’m any kind of hero.=
To me, the work had to be done. I was asked to do it. So, I did."
=
–Private First Class Joe Lesniewski=E2=80=8B
"Today, when people thank me f=
or my service, I figure three years of my time is a cheap price to pay for =
this country. Nobody owes me a thing."
–Lieutenant Buck Compton
"I =
cherish the memories of a question my grandson asked me the other day when =
he said, ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, ‘No, but I se=
rved in a company of heroes.’"
–Major Richard Winters
"At the core,=
the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong,=
and they didn’t want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So, they=
fought, and won, and we, all of us, living and yet to be born, must be for=
ever profoundly grateful."
–Author Stephen Ambrose
~~=
Dr Bob Griffin
b=
[email protected] www.grif.net
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!"