D Day June 6th 1944 ---- Remember those that were there as well as all of the support personel involved... ..... drill sgt.

My FIL was in the second wave on that infamous day. His comment about that day was that was the day he became a man…

Thank you for stepping up, and the sacrifice of the many.

You will never be forgotten..

These two were among the many veterans invited to speak this past weekend at the WW2 Event in Reading, PA.

Robert Thompson
SSgt. USA, Co. A, 23rd Infantry Regt., 2nd Inf. Div.
Combat Infantryman
Normandy, Brittany and Ardennes Campaigns
POW at stalags in Hammelburg, Nuremberg and Moosburg

Guy Whidden
Sergeant, USA, HQ Co., 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Div.
Machine-Gunner

We can NEVER repay what those boys did for the world that day.

The greatest generation. Unimaginable sacrifice made by so many.

Interesting article:

7 D-Day Invasion Facts

When I was in parochial school the nuns would always share stories about the war on the D Day anniversary. Many were Polish or German and they despised the Nazis. The town I grew up in was nearly 100% of German Bohemian descent. The nuns were always stressing to us the Nazis were not the same as our German ancestors and relatives.

Always fascinated a young mind listening to those stories. One of the nuns who was not a teacher had the tattoo on her hand from the prison camp she was in. We would all stare at it in amazement. I'd hate to think what the schools are telling the kids these days about WWII if anything at all.

quote:

Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
I'd hate to think what the schools are telling the kids these days about WWII if anything at all.

If the ignorance about other critical historical events that the author Douglas Murray documents in his book The War on the West is any indication, probably little to nothing. The 6 June Normandy invasion D Day was important but it was only one of countless military events that led to the defeat of Germany, Italy, Japan, and other members of the Axis powers. I must point out, though, it’s not only the recent generations that are stunningly ignorant of WWII history. In the late 1960s a young woman who was attending college at the time and whose father had fought in the European Theater asked me, “Did we fight the Germans in the war?” The only thing we should be surprised about someone’s referring to the Germans’ bombing Pearl Harbor is that he would have ever heard of an attack on Pearl Harbor at all.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
My FIL was in the second wave on that infamous day. His comment about that day was that was the day he became a man…

My stepdad was in the first wave. He took 3 MG rounds thru his middle. Took a good while for him to recover and he suffered some effects until he died of old age.

I do remember this, and I remember the newsreels. I was in the second grade at the time.

If Europe is on your bucket list, I encourage a visit to Normandy. I've been twice and it's sobering.

My Uncle Geoffrey H Lord, a sniper in the Queens Royal Rifles of Canada, waded ashore at the same time as those other brave boys down the line. He carried around 80 pounds of kit, not including his Long Branch-made Lee-Enfield No4(T) sniping rifle, and with a bicycle over his free shoulder, too.

He went through the rest of the war, including the awful passage of arms raking the Scheldt Estuary from the desperate Germans, and came home safe to SE Ontario, picking up an English wife - my Aunt Jean - on the way back.

...and today, in our little village here in rural Cambridgeshire, we are celebrating the life of a Normandy Veteran, Pte Cecil Deller, late of the Royal Suffolk Regiment, who took not one, but two vital objectives on D-Day, at a cost, as soldiers always do.

Bless them ALL.

I took my M-1 carbine and fired a few rounds. It was made in 4-43 and could have been there.

9387 lie in Colleville-Sur-Mer. Lest we forget.

A great ceremony with hundreds of the 116th deployed in Africa plus partner and allied forces this morning. Wrapped up with a short little ruck, then back to "Work". Very proud to be here with these Soldiers and thankful for the support from back home. link to full story

0415 first call this morning... 0450 accountability... forming up ~0530...


My vantage point:


Some very good, dedicated and caring people here:

God bless this great generation and their families. I saw two survivors of the invasion today. Both had turned 100 years old. It probably won’t be many more years until it will no longer be mentioned. Very sad!

quote:

Originally posted by Russ59:
If Europe is on your bucket list, I encourage a visit to Normandy. I've been twice and it's sobering.

I wholeheardtedly agree. I visited Normandy on 5 Jun 2015 and it was a humbling experience. Lots of folks there, of course--it was just one day prior to the anniversary of D-Day. While in Europe, one should also visit a few of the American cemeteries. The upkeep is fastidious and the awe is huge.

flashguy

My father was on Omaha Beach with the 149th Combat Engineers. They were clearing mines while under fire. He said it was the biggest show any 19 year old could ever see.