I'm 85 now and have visited Normandy five times but have not attended any 10 year celebration nor will I attend the 65th anniversary celebration this June 6th.
I still hope to get back there one day and visit again all of the graves of the GIs that I knew and who are buried at the US Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy.
A salute to All Troops living or dead that took part in "D-Day !
Yes, God bless them all. The minions of enforced collectivism will never understand the freedoms for which those soldiers gave so much, some their all. That Reagan speech at Normandy 25 years ago seems like yesterday; it was so exceptional. One knew that President Reagan understood their sacrifices, truly appreciated their sacrifices and bravery.
Hard to believe it has been that many years since the great invasion. God bless you all WW II Vets. I got to go to Normanday one time, it will take your breath away at the thought and the feeling of what took place there.
The cemetery at Normandy, from the pictures that I have seen, must be incredible in person... Thank you to all WW-II veterans, you gave us our today... Most Respectfully, SUNLINER81
Taking a quote from Sir Winston Churchill, "Never in the face of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few." Truly we can say the same for our heroes, those men and women who answered the call and did what they had to do... for our sake. There is good reason why they are known as the Greatest generation.
Words cannot express the gratitude that I, and probably most other Americans, feel toward those who sacrificed so much for our freedom on that day on those beaches. As a "cold war" vet, and having traveled to Normandy, I can't even imagine what courage it took to do what they did.
God Bless all of you old soldier's who took part in the Normandy beach landing.That would of been pure hell,and your sacrifice was horrable..So many lost their live's over there,and my heart goes out to their family's living and deceased.I truely hope you all can continue to make the trip back for as long as you want too.I ran across one of the Normandy vets a couple of years ago,at a shopping mall..We got to talking and he told me some horrific story's.One of the nicest guys i've ever had the pleasure of meeting.I'm a Nam vet,so from one old soldier to another..I SALUTE YOU ALL.
Those were some of the finest, bravest young men,that AMERICAN could produce like anyother ERA !! A salute to ALL NORMANDY VETSPASSED OR ALIVE I SALUTE YOU ALL, AND TO ALL PRESENT VETS OF THE PRESENT AND PAST. Love you my brothers, and sister of arms. Co. A 2/502nd. Inf. Fort Campbell,Ky.80-83
I'm going to Atlanta tomorrow so my Dad and I can celebrate D-Day as we do every year. Each year I learn something else that happened when he and the rest of the 82nd Airborne jumped into France. My tours with the 101st in Nam were rough; but I can't imagine anything like parachuting at night over hostile territory under fire. Dad can't party like he used to; but his mind is clear and we'll have a couple for the soldiers who have passed before us.
Originally posted by fnewt: I'm 85 now and have visited Normandy five times but have not attended any 10 year celebration nor will I attend the 65th anniversary celebration this June 6th.
I still hope to get back there one day and visit again all of the graves of the GIs that I knew and who are buried at the US Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy.
Sir,
I hope you get back there to visit your buddies 1 more time.
We are rapidly losing those entire hero’s of WWII. A current report says that they are dying at a rate of 2,000 a day and soon they will all be gone and with that we will lose a great oral history.
Originally posted by fnewt: I'm 85 now and have visited Normandy five times but have not attended any 10 year celebration nor will I attend the 65th anniversary celebration this June 6th.
I still hope to get back there one day and visit again all of the graves of the GIs that I knew and who are buried at the US Military Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer, Normandy.
I hope you do as well Sir.
I was fortunate enough to visit the American Cemetery in Luxembourg, it truly takes your breath away to stand and look over the graves of those brave soldiers, it has and will always remain one of the truly memorable moments of my tours of duty in Europe.
A great site for revisiting all the Cemeteries is here:
Was at the WW2 Monument on the Mall today; sorry I missed D-Day. (Gotta make sure the youngest, a 10-year-old, understands what his Marine pawpaw and AAF grandpaw each gave for four years of their lives soon after the Depression.) Also spoke with some elderly veterans.) Met two elderly veterans near the wall of 4,048 golden stars. One, a spry 90+ years, four uninterrupted years away from family and home, proud former soldier. Another, a tad younger, served with PT boats, usually operating at night when on patrol, and gone almost as long. Not many of them remain. Was pleased to be able to personally thank them for what they have given us. The attention on D-Day was good to again remind us of their sacrifices and service to us, whether in the invasion or elsewhere. Every last one deserves to depart these mortal environs knowing how much Americans worthy of the name think they owe them for all they have given us. I just hope we Boomers don't blow it badly.
Although I am pleased to see the frequent remembrances of those who took part in the Normandy invasion, I must point out that there were many other battles during WW II in which many lost their lives or were seriously wounded. Battles in the Pacific -- Naval and Land --, on the Atlantic prior to the Normandy invasion, in North Africa all took an enormous toll of lives. Except for the remembrance of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, not much mention is made of these other important and difficult military operations.
Before WW II and since, there were and have been many who have fought our country's battles. None should be forgotten!
Kind of hard to have Atlantic Battle rememberences since there's no fixed point like Normandy to celebrate.
Kasserine, Tunisia isnt exactly in a very friendly area to visit. And Gela, Salerno, Anzio didnt hit the Wehrmacht as hard as the direct landings in NW Europe.
I was in Abilene, KS over the weekend for other reasons and happened to find out about the big D-Day commemoration the town was having.
Abilene is home to the Eisenhower Library and the town was tying the 65th Anniversary of D-Day to him because he of course was the Supreme Commander.
They had a parade with detachments from Ft. Riley, D-Day veterans, local bands & groups and reenactors. There was a static display of equipment from Ft. Riley, historic vehicles and a fly-over of modern and classic a/c.
It was very patriotic and typical small-town atmosphere.
Originally posted by LineDoggie: Kind of hard to have Atlantic Battle rememberences since there's no fixed point like Normandy to celebrate.
Kasserine, Tunisia isnt exactly in a very friendly area to visit. And Gela, Salerno, Anzio didnt hit the Wehrmacht as hard as the direct landings in NW Europe.
I do not disagree with you that the locations are remote or otherwise difficult. However, the fierce battles and casualties suffered at Midway, the Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, just to name a few should also not be forgotten. Nor should Anzio or the other locals that you mention be overlooked.
Perhaps Memorial Day should be more than a day to picnic. I just don't want the world wide sacrifice of our military to be forgotten.
