Proud To Be An American Series
D-Day June 6th
SUPEREME ALLIED COMMANDER GENERAL DWGHT D. EISENHOWER SPEAKS…… “SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND AIRMAN OF THE ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE YOU ARE ABOUT TO EMBARK UPON THE GREAT CRUSADE TOWARDS WHICH WE HAVE STRIVEN THESE MANY MONTHS. THE EYES OF THE WORLD ARE UPON YOU, THE HOPES AND PRAYERS OF LIBERTY LOVING PEOPLE EVERYWHERE MARCH WITH YOU. …….. THIS IS THE YEAR 1944. MUCH HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE NAZI TRIUMPHS OF 1940 …… THE TIDE HAS TURNED. THE FREE MEN OF THE WORLD ARE MARCHING TOGETHER TO VICTORY. I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE IN YOUR COURAGE, DEVOTION TO DUTY AND SKILL IN BATTLE. WE WILL ACCEPT NOTHING LESS THAN FULL VICTORY. GOOD LUCK, AND LET US ALL BESEECH THE BLESSINGS OF ALMIGHTY GOD UPON THIS GREAT AND NOBEL UNDERTAKING.” D-DAY DURING WORLD WAR II THE ALLIED INVASION OF WESTERN EUROPE, OPERATION OVERLORD, WAS LAUNCHED ON 6 JUNE 1944, (THE MOST CELEBRATED D-DAY OF THE WAR). SIMULTANEOUS LANDINGS AND AIR ASSAULTS BY FORCES OF FOURTEEN COUNTRIES INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES, BRITISH, AND CANADIAN FORCES, ON FIVE SEPARATE LOCATIONS IN NORMANDY FRANCE WERE ACCOMPLISHED UNDER A VEIL OF SECRECY AND STRATEGY. OMAHA, UTAH, SWORD, GOLD, AND JUNO BEACHES WOULD BE TAKEN AT A TERRIBLE COST OF HUMAN LIFE. BY THE END OF AUGUST 1944 ALLIED FORCES REORGANIZED FOR THE DRIVE INTO GERMANY. SOVIET FORCES WOULD ADVANCE FROM THE EAST AND WOULD EVENTUALLY MEET UP WITH ALLIED FORCES IN GERMANY. THIS PROVED TO BE THE END ON THE NAZI REICH. TODAY, OVER SIXTY YEARS LATER, EMOTIONS STILL RUN DEEP FOR THOSE WHO REMEMBER THAT DAY. WHAT APPEARS AS AN ENDLESS FIELD OF CROSSES, COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, IS THE LAST RESTING PLACE OF NEARLY 9300 BRAVE SOULS, WHO FELL JUST A SHORT DISTANCE FROM WHERE THEY LAY. WE CAN NEVER BEGIN TO REPAY THEM FOR WHAT THEY DID FOR US, FOR WHAT THEY GAVE US. TODAY THEIR FLAG WILL FLY AT HALF STAFF AND IF YOU LISTEN VERY CLOSELY YOU CAN HEAR THE MUTED BUGEL HONOR EACH OF THEM WITH THE PLAYING OF TAPS. WE, ALL OF US, NOW TAKE UP THEIR BANNER AND IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING MENT TO ALTER OUR FORWARD COURSE OVER THESE INTERVIENING YEARS, WE ARE STRONGER THAN BEFORE, WE ARE CLOSER THAN BEFORE, WE ARE PROUDER THAN BEFORE, WE ARE AMERICANS, PROUD OF OUR HERITAGE, PROUD OF WHAT OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM REPRESENT, THEN AND NOW. WE SALUTE YOU. GOD SPEED. |
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