June 6, 1944, also known as The Normandy Invasion or Operation Overlord. We more commonly refer to it as D-Day, when almost 3 million allied troops, led by the United States, Britain, Canada and France, landed on the beaches of German-occupied France. It still remains the largest seaborne invasion in history. Beginning the evening of June 5 with night-time paratrooper and glider landings, the most famous landing occurred on June 6 where many soldiers didn't even make it to shore, shot in the water while they waded to the beach. Transports weighted down in the water almost capsized. In fact, this "invasion" probably shouldn't hav
e even succeeded, if not for a series of snafus on the part of the Germans. Yeah, you could say that the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan came pretty close to reality. I always watch the National Memorial Day concert from Washington D.C., the actor Charles Durning is there every year and I've often heard him talk about his experience that day - you can still see the pain in his eyes, the haunting images of horror on his face. The battles waged for more than 2 months - and concluded with the liberation of France and the fall of the Falaise Pocket. It was a multi-national force, with the participation of other countries like Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland. 53,700 allied troops dead, 18,000 missing and 155,000 wounded. The beaches were littered with dead bodies - Utah, Omaha, Juno - just a few of the names that come to mind whenever I think of D-Day. My father wasn't part of this first unit, he came in on the 3rd wave which came up the boot of Italy. He talked about the ruins of Italy and of later marching through the Arc de Triomphe. And every time you asked him about it, he always said "I didn't do anything." I'll be flying my flag today, not only in remembrance of those men, American and foreign, who died that day, but for the men, like my father who "didn't do anything".
29 comments:
And Thank God for all of the soldiers who have sacrificed if not their lives but at least their time to make sure our world is sae from tyranny. I'm pretty sure that my Dh will be saluting the flag tomorrw as well.
Beautiful tribute, Eve.
Humility like your father's is rare these days.
Wonderful, Eve. Thanks so much for sharing with us and remembering. =)
That's really beautiful, Eve. Thank God we had so many who 'didn't do anything'.
I find it amazing that most of the solders say "They didn't do anything",
Its almost like an Old West sherriff
"Aw shucks, Ma'am, jist doin' my job", meanwhile, the whole town is safe due to his actions.
So too, our country. We are safe because of THEIR actions.
Yeah, I salute them too. And they need to hear that. They may not acknowledge it openly, but they hear it in their hearts.
Wonderful, touching post, Eve! Thanks for sharing it with us. And my prayers, thoughts, and thanks go out to those who in the past and in the present are sacrificing to keep us free.
Excellent remembrance...we just studied this in class, and one of the art instructors had been over to Normandy in the past few months. His pictures, renderings and description of the invasion were moving. My uncle was also there, not "doing anything." God bless them.
Thanks Eve for the reminder, that I am ashamed to have not remembered. The opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan was horrifying, and I can only imagine that it doesn't even come close to how bad it really was. I can't imagine myself crawling on my hands and knees up a sandy beach knowing I was going to get shot.
Wow, a great post, Eve. Thanks for sharing about your father!!
Brandy - my flag is out. My neighbors son knows to come and ask me why - so I take this opportunity to give a history lesson.
Jason - I agree.
Kelly - you're welcome.
Loreth - Amen is right.
Shirley - when I've talked to my dad and uncles about the war (yes, I had - between both sides of the family - 12 vets in WWII) they always said that they did what they had to do - no thinking about it.
Thanks Stacy.
Michele - see above answer to Shirley.
Sandy - mine too.
Marty - I also had a picture of the Canadian section of the cemetary in Normandy, but blogger got tired of downloading those pictures. You know, in some ways, I think they really were "The Greatest Generation".
Peggy - that's what you get when a history major with an interest in WWII has her own blog.
Scott - I don't think they could have either. My dad was mainly in North Africa, England and Northern Ireland - so except for the N. Africa campaign and the stint through Italy at the end of the war, he wasn't in a lot of action - so I think that's why he thinks he didn't do anything.
Oh Hi Joely - you're welcome. And if anybody wants to know what my Uncle Bill did - rent the movie The Great Raid, he was one of Mucci's Rangers. I also have an uncle who was at Guadalcanal.
It only takes a moment of time to sit still and take appreciation for what others have done in honor and protection of our freedom.
Thank you for reminding us, Eve.
Meretta - yes, we often get caught up in the here and now and forget what it took to get us here.
My grandad went over the day after, artillary, supporting a Canadian regiment. He didn't do anything either. He says the Yanks got the worst of it. There is real emotion in his eyes when he speaks about what happened to other people.
I'm so surprized with your love of WWII you haven't read Suz Brockmann's earlier sngle titles. The secondary plot are all about WWII
God bless the soldiers and those who love them.
He's as deaf as a post but the MOD haven't deemed him damaged by the big guns he worked on without ear protection.
thanks for reminding us it is something other than a market day for a creepy scary movie!
honestly I had forgotten... and my grandpa was there (not in Normandy that day but real close by)
Eve, Great post! My granddad was in both WWI and WWII along with the Mexican Border War. He was mustard gassed and wounded, but as you said he always said he didn't do anything.
Our flag is also flying today.
Thank you for remembering them today, Eve. I also did a post on my WW2 blog.
It amazes me how much we can pay attention to a day like this when it is a big anniversary - like the 60th was a few years ago. But if it's not, then we just sort of forget about it. I'm glad you remembered. :-)
As far as I know, no one in my family fought during World War Two, but I'm very thankful for the men who did.
I really appreciate your recognition (sp?) of military history. It's important we not forget the sacrifices made by veterans of war, past and present. While I may not agree with the current administration's decision to invade Iraq, I salute their willingness to serve.
Thank you for this post, Eve. I have linked to it on mine of today about the 110th birthday of our oldest WWI veteran. We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to our fathers' and grandfathers' generations for the huge sacrifices they made so that we can live in freedom.
My dad fought in War World II and my husband was in Vietnam. Two very different wars in very many ways. Don't think those who go to war can ever be the same. Looks like some things can never be learned. I too am flying the flag.
Finally I can get in - blogger hasn't been good to me today.
Toni - my father's hearing was bad too.
You're welcome Dennie.
Susan - my maternal grandfather's brother was gassed in WWI. He never recovered and committed suicide in the early 30s.
Melissa - I'll never forget. I know what you mean - the only mention in the paper today was in the "What Happened Today" section. TCM did show The Longest Day this weekend. Mom and I are going to watch American Experience on PBS tonight. It's about D-Day from the perspective of those who were there. Oh, I just noticed your picture - that's great!
Tori - That means even more.
Thank you Susie.
Siobhan - I don't think we have any WWI vets left. I could be wrong, but I thought I'd read within the last year that our last one had died. Thanks for the link.
Jeanne - no, they're never learned.
Thank God for those who "didn't do anything" without them we would not BE anything!!
I make sure these days to walk up to those soldiers whenever I see them and say Thank you! I cry too...I can not believe the sacrifices of them and their families!!! Truly amazing!
My dad was in War World II, too. He wasn't drafted but enlisted like many men at that time. He didn't talk about it much but he did his part and I know he never forgot the things he saw or the friends he lost.
Let's see if this posting works. I've had nothing but problems in the last few days--both here and at non-blogger.com sites.
I guess I always do identify with the Allies on WW II, though I was born in Germany. Maybe it's also because I know that my father as well as other relatives fought on the Eastern front.
This invasion really was a tremendous undertaking. When I saw some real film bits of the Normandy invasion last year on TV, my heart hurt for all the loss of life. My grandfather had it right when he spoke of Hitler only as "that criminal". Mass hysteria and deadly suppression of all opposition are the only reasons that someone like this could take over the country. The attempts on Hitler's life all failed and he always claimed that "Providence" saved him. He had no really constructive political agenda. Even the Autobahns he had built as his "make work" project for the Depression were just a means of faster transportation of war goods.
Even while my mother was already suffering from Alzheimer's and could hardly remember who we were, she'd ask, "Is Papa home?" in German. I wasn't sure she meant my or her papa and finally asked her one day. It was her papa she was asking about. That's when I realized that she was reliving the trauma of the time when she and her mother constantly feared for her father's life--and they lived in Berlin. Finally they were relieved when he was conscripted into the Navy where he had a much better chance of survival than in Berlin. And he did survive. The troops were not Nazi-fans. They weren't eager to die for an idiot's megalomania.
My sincere sympathies to all who lost loved ones, especially in Normandy. My father was the only one of 3 brothers to return from the eastern front. The others were listed as MIA.
Just a note: Most soldiers never boast about their heroism. They saw that something had to be done and did it. My father never talked to us about his experiences in the war. I'm pretty sure that he never told my mother everything either. The only thing I do know is that he escaped from close to Stalingrad, twice by running away from Russian firing squads. His athletic forte was long-distance running.
I don't know if the soldiers currently in Iraq or those in Vietnam ever boasted of their accomplishments. I doubt it. Some might but few of the armed forces were really proud of what they did in war. My father certainly returned as a changed man according to my mother.
Oh, and the other thing I know was that he was a lieutenant and had a horse named Margit. I guess he didn't want to name it outright for my mother, Margot.
Thanks so much for the moving tribute to your father and all the other soldiers, Eve. I hope you don't mind that I was also reminded of the other side.
Glenice - I remember when they were trying to get the monument in Washington built and people were protesting that it would take up more grassland at the mall, obscure the view, etc. And I kept thinking ... you know, if it weren't for these men and women, that mall wouldn't be there. It would be replaced by a Bonsai Garden or a Saurkraut factory. It made me angry - angry that it had taken this long to build it in the first place, angry that anyone would question it's right to be wherever the hell it wanted to be. Most of all, angry that my father passed before it was finished and he never got to see it. We owe the men (and women) who fought in WWII - American, British, Canadian, etc. all of them - more than we can ever repay.
Carol - my dad was in the National Guard when Pearl Harbor was attacked.
Ruby - Not a lot of people realize that a majority of German soldiers were anti-Nazi, thanks for reminding us.
No Ruby, I don't mind. In fact, I thought about you as I wrote and wondered if it would upset you.
Sorry I haven't been around much today - I'm in a bit of pain and not sitting at the computer very long. I'm now going to, hopefully, get tomorrow's blog written and then off to bed. Sorry, I missed a lot of blogging today - but I'll catch up tomorrow.
Well done Eve.
And you're right, those who "didn't do anything" actually did it all. They deserved that memorial long before it actually went up. We all deserve to look at it & think about how very different our lives could have been if not for them.
I always remember too all the people in my life who have served outside war-time. I know that's supposed to be reserved for Veterans day, but those who serve in peace-time help maintain what those who serve in war fight so hard for.
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