On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolph Hitler’s crack troops.
Don't forget tomorrow night (Friday, June 6th) at 9:30 p.m. is the broadcast of our program "D-Day at 70: A Salute to the Greatest Generation." Following the broadcast it should be viewable on the MPT website at:
http://video.mpt.tv/
5am: Omaha Beach. Sunrise ceremony with US veterans.
8am: Caen. World leaders arrive at Carpiquet Airport for D-Day commemorations.
9.40am: Colleville-Sur-Mer. Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande attend a ceremony at the American cemetery.
11.15am: Chateau De Benouville. French president Francois Hollande hosts an official lunch for the international leaders attending commemorations for D-Day.
2pm: Ouistreham. French president Francois Hollande, leads the main international ceremony to mark D-Day.
8pm: Utah beach. France ceremony and fireworks on Utah beach ahead of D-Day Anniversary.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
I can't find an image or any text that really expresses my genuine appreciation for the men that confronted the naval hazards crossing the English channel on the ships just off shore and shelling on the ships and landing craft, landed on the beaches of Normady, parachuted in to the near by areas, and the pilots and troops in the gliders that found themselves in places they didn't anticipate being in. Somehow a plan that didn't go as planned turned out to be an impromptu plan that had a few problems but resulted in victory but also cost so many allied forces their lives if not serious injuries.
The only thing I can say is thank you. Thank you for risking your lives, thank you to those who died on that day fighting for us, and thank you to those who were injured physically and/or mentally, and during the subsequent days in battles fought on the behalf of the security of the allied nations. We enjoy the and the freedoms we have today because of your sacrifice and tenacity to defeat the Axis no matter what the cost might be in human lives.
In my humble opinion, 70 years later D day still matters and every citizen of the nations that comprise the Allied forces of World War II owe the D day fallen a moment of remembrance and appreciation tomorrow.
I can explain it to you but I can't understand it for you.
"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the Government take care of him; better take a closer look at the American Indian." - Henry Ford
Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges; When the Republic is at its most corrupt the laws are most numerous. - Publius Cornelius Tacitus
I added the Canadian Broadcasting Company to my Twitter feed yesterday and they covered what was happening 70 years ago for Canadian forces as their paratroopers were loaded into planes, thier minesweepers clearing the landing zones, the German shore batteries firing on approaching Allied ships.
It really made you feel like you were there for the attack on Hitler's Atlantic Wall went down.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
I listened to the first few of those D-Day bulletins last night...history brought to life.
There are several accounts doing a real-time "live" coverage of the invasion as if it were happening today - check it out:
http://mashable.com/2014/06/05/d-day-twitter-accounts/
Planning for the D-Day invasion began as early as December 1941, when Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed to the war plans division of the U.S. Army to design a plan for an Allied victory. In December 1943, Joseph Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt insisted on a May 1944 invasion at an inter-Allied conference in Tehran, Iran.
In January 1944, Eisenhower became the commander of the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF). Though May was the original target for the invasion, it was postponed due to difficulties with landing crafts; still, Eisenhower insisted on a unalterable June 5 date. Ultimately, weather issues pushed the date back a day to June 6. Eisenhower gave troops the order of that day as they prepared to invade the continent from the U.K.: "Full victory — Nothing else."
A series of historical photos detailing the famous Normandy invasion, some of which include graphic depictions of war, are below.
They are Associated Press photos, so you'll have to go to the Mashable link to view them. I love the 2nd one for the enormity of the operation.
As the nation's largest organization of combat veterans, we understand the challenges veterans, service members and military families can face and believe that experiencing financial difficulties should not be one of them. That's the premise behind the VFW's Unmet Needs program.
Unmet Needs is there to help America's service members who run into unexpected financial difficulties as a result of deployment or other military-related activity. The program provides financial aid of up to $2,500 to assist with basic life needs in the form of a grant -not a loan- so no repayment is required. To further ease the burden, we pay the creditor directly.
Since the program's inception, Unmet Needs has distributed $5 million in assistance to qualified military families, with nearly half of those funds going directly toward basic housing needs.
The needs of our veterans, service and their families should never go unmet. Let us offer you a hand up when you need it!
If you or someone you know may qualify for a grant through the VFW Unmet Needs program, please reference the resources below:
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
Almost as many died, 9000+ in one day of D-Day compared to the combat KIA's in both Afghanistan and Iraq combined. But 9000 out of only 100,000 who landed that first day is a very high butcher's bill.
Thomas Sowell: There are no solutions, just trade-offs.
Not enough words to thank all who made the ultimate sacrifice. Thanks to all for your service. I was just a youngster when an Uncle who was at Normandy in WWII didn't come home.
