D-Day 65th Anniversary

"In this column I want to tell you what the opening of the second front entailed, so that you can know and appreciate and forever be humbly grateful to those both dead and alive who did it for you."
— Ernie Pyle, June 12, 1944

* * * *

On June 6, 1944, in the single largest land, sea and air assault ever, more than 150,000 troops landed at the beaches of Normandy. In the words of General Dwight D Eisenhower, these heroic men "brought about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world."

It was a privilege to attend the 65th Anniversary commemorative service at the National D-Day Memorial in nearby Bedford. Rob and Trevor had calendared this a year ago, and my dad and Sherry's visit coincided with the date.


In an estimated crowd of 4,000, we listened to the somber hour-long commencement, which included readings of various speeches from the time, and of letters written by soldiers who were part of the Operation. Also honored at the ceremony were several dozen D-Day veterans who were in attendance. The youngest of these men will be 82 years old this year.

Following the program, we spent time wandering the grounds, looking at various displays.


We found a friend of Trevor's, whose Sea Cadet unit was among the many groups of volunteers.


The day was hot, hot, hot, but definitely an improvement over the rain earlier in the week. We found a shady spot to eat. (This photo doesn't look too shady, but seemed cool at the time.)


We spotted several groups of people who had obviously traveled quite far, including families from Texas and the upper Midwest.


We saw a lot of great t-shirts.

Trevor pretty much taught himself to read,
but we're thankful he reads English.

Robert bought his own copy of The Bedford Boys to be signed by author Alex Kershaw. I can't recommend this book enough. Find it at your library and learn more about the incredible sacrifices made by our soldiers on D-Day.


We are unable to express gratitude to those who died while fighting on a battlefield, but we can never forget the precious gift they gave to preserve our freedom and defend our Constitution.


"...you can know and appreciate and forever be humbly grateful to those both dead and alive who did it for you."