65th Anniversary of D-Day

Kurt

Kurt

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May 3, 2008
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State Park Marina Table Rock Lake
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2005 280 DA
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Twin 5.0 Merc/B3's
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Today marks the 65th anniversary of the greatest amphibous assualt ever attempted. Operation Overloard as it is known was the great crusade to penetrate Hitler's Atlantic wall in the liberation of France and the defeat of Nazi Germany. Without the courage and sacrifice of many men we may all be speaking German today under socialist rule. So put aside all of you're complaints of todays politics, taxes, and Obama and pay honor to the sacrifices made by the greatest generation of men who served in the allied expeditionary forces.
 
Amen,
If more Americans would only understand.

What happened to this country and it's people?
 
Sarkozy made an excellent speech marking the occassion. You could feel the gratitude in his remarks for the sacrificies made by the British, Canadian and American troops.
 
The incredible thought is that more men died that day in the first few hours than in all the midlde east wars we've been in up to this very moment.

The landing took an enormus toll on our guys and we were there to battle for our friends, we'd barely had sand kicke din our face up to then.

God Bless America, and we really need it now.
 
The local VFW Post had a fundraiser today. I had to pull in, dorp a little green in the bucket & shake some hands. I love it how those old guys muster up a firm hand shake, look you dead in the eyes & say "It was my pleasure".

Thank You, to all that have served in ANY capacity.
 
Did anyone see Don Cherry on Hockey Night in Canada last night make a speech about how the Canadien service men were the best in the world, and were better than US and Britain during D-Day invasion? I love that guys passion and patriotism, even if I don't always agree with him.
 
In church this morning the preacher recognized JT, who will celebrate his 90th birthday tomorrow. JT trained and flew with the RAF before we went over there, and later flew a P51 on photo reconnaissance missions over occupied France. Two days before D-Day, he photographed V-1 launch sites and a German shore battery overlooking Omaha beach. He was one of the many who overflew Normandy on 06 June, bringing back the film that told our planners how we were doing and where we needed to go next. Two days later, on his birthday, he flew two missions the same day.

So happy 90th Joe, and thank you to all who helped turn the tide against tyranny, those few who still live among us, and those who live in our memories and our gratitude.
 
When I was a Major in the Army I had the great privilege of attending the Command and Staff College, and then the School of Advanced Warfighting (SAW), at Marine Corps University, Quantico, Virginia. I was one of two Army Officers in the SAW course. As part of the curriculum the class travelled to Normandy and spent a week there. We walked from "Dog Red" which was a section of Omaha Beach assaulted by the 1st Infantry Division on June 6th. We started at the waters' edge and hiked up to the top of the bluff. It is a hike...and it takes little imagination to wonder what that must have been like under fire.
When you get to the top of the bluff you see the American Cemetary. A sea of white crosses not unlike some of the vistas at Arlington National Cemetary. From the cemetary we walked to Point Du Hoc, where Army Rangers made a vertical assault (climbed ropes up a cliff under fire) on the morning of June 6th to destroy what was believed to be a German 88 MM Anti Tank gun emplacement. We then spent two days at Utah Beach, where the 4th Division landed, and toured some of the Drop ZOnes where the 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions made the night jump early on 6 June. The savagery of the small unit actions in and around the beaches and landing zones remain the stuff of legend. The heroism and sacrifices made that day defy description.

Yes, it is awful easy to believe that this country is going to hell, and that we are led by fools. Just as a great generation came of age on the battleflields of Europe and the Pacific, I believe a next great generation has come of age in the battlefields of the Middle East. When I was in Iraq in the summer of 2004 I met a young lieutenant, an M1A2 Abrams Tank Platoon Leader, who had just had his tank shot out from underneath him-it caught fire and burned while he got his men out. And he could not wait to get back out and find the SOBs who fired at him. Not unlike the young men who jumped into Normandy or assaulted the cliffs at Point Du Hoc. Some of the young men and women in combat today are going to come home, enter politics, and set about returning this country to what made us great. It is already happening in some of our local races where I live.
 
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Skip said:
Yes, it is awful easy to believe that this country is going to hell, and that we are led by fools. Just as a great generation came of age on the battleflields of Europe and the Pacific, I believe a next great generation has come of age in the battlefields of the Middle East. When I was in Iraq in the summer of 2004 I met a young lieutenant, an M1A2 Abrams Tank Platoon Leader, who had just had his tank shot out from underneath him-it caught fire and burned while he got his men out. And he could not wait to get back out and find the SOBs who fired at him. Not unlike the young men who jumped into Normandy or assaulted the cliffs at Point Du Hoc. Some of the young men and women in combat today are going to come home, enter politics, and set about returning this country to what made us great. It is already happening in some of our local races where I live.
Click to expand...

We've got some very good potential leaders coming back from the GWOT. However this conflict has not directly involved nearly as many young men and women as did WW2. Will there be enough of them to lead, and are there enough who haven't participated who can or will appreciate the service of those who did?
 
tmhudson2 said:
We've got some very good potential leaders coming back from the GWOT. However this conflict has not directly involved nearly as many young men and women as did WW2. Will there be enough of them to lead, and are there enough who haven't participated who can or will appreciate the service of those who did?
Click to expand...

I guess it depends on your outlook. We have been at war for eight years. It ain't over by a long shot. We are now belatedly ramping up the fight in Afghanistan. No, America has not mobilized as we did in WW II. It is a different fight.

Try to find an Army Reserve or Guard Unit (or USMCR, Naval Reserve, USAF Reserve, etc) that has not gone to war. When they come back to the Armories in the small towns they call home I guarantee that most people in that town appreciate their sacrifice and service.

My glass remains half full.

And now...back to boating. $2.35 diesel. Gotta love it.
Regards

Skip
 
Story: http://www.chattanoogan.com/articles/article_152302.asp

Story about the soon-to-be nephew of a friend of mine(his niece is marrying David). Quite a quality young man. It is stories like this that give me hope for our Country's future...

Thanks to all who served. My dad did a stint in Korea, but he would NEVER talk about it..not even to say why.
 
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