Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Operation Overlord, the day during World War II on which the Allies invaded France, a giant milestone 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 eight allied countries. Almost 135,000 troops from the United States, the 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-dawn hours. They were followed by 1,200 aircraft carrying more than 23,000 American, British, and Canadian airborne troops.
It's tough today to understand the scope and risk that was involved in the invasion, and 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 day on June 6th (and eventually victorious in the entire World War) are now in their 90’s or older. Only about 100,000 of the 16.4 million Americans who served in World War II are still alive. Their number is reduced to less than 1% of all who served. Here are a few inspiring quotations to give us all a little bit of appreciation for what it might have been like to be part of the invasion, or to wait with bated breath for news of what had happened.
"They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate."
-- President Franklin D. Roosevelt's official address announcing the invasion
"We'll start the war from right here."
--Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., son of the former president, who landed with his troops in the wrong place 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 else, 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
"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
"Today, when people thank me for 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 served 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 forever profoundly grateful."
--Author Stephen Ambrose
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Dr Bob Griffin
"Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!"