D-Day: June 6th, 1944
Categories: Events, Military
D-Day: June 6th, 1944. From Utah to Sword the greatest undertaking of mankind was met with furious gunfire and enormous casualties. Inland, paratroopers suffered equally. Yet…we won. Nobody had done something this large before, so brazen. It was a full frontal attack on one of the most heavily fortified beaches in the world. What really can we say that hasn’t already been said a million times over. The men that stormed those beaches and overcame all obstacles…the ones who wouldn’t set foot on dry land, cut down in their transports…they probably didn’t understand the significance of their actions then, there was no time to.
The only thing to do during the assault was act. Rely on training and keep gaining ground. They probably didn’t know they’d be celebrated the world over for decades as the Greatest Generation. They just did with no thoughts aside from living and killing the enemy. Heroes were made that day, amidst the chaos several men stood strong.
Thirteen men were awarded the Medal of Honor, nine of which were awarded posthumously.
While today is not a national holiday, it is a day of deep significance. It is a day that reminds us that there are those who will truly fight evil, truly defeating it, even giving their lives to see it gone from this Earth. Almost two weeks after Memorial Day this year, we remember the precious lives lost that day and remember the mental fortitude of those who pressed on despite their friends, neighbors, countrymen, and possibly even family, fall around them.
These men who watched the carnage unfold and pressed on, we owe them a great debt of gratitude we can only repay by being a country worth sacrificing for. While it is not a national holiday, we hope that you truly, deeply and wholeheartedly understand the significance of this day and take a moment to quietly honor those who lived through D-Day and those who perished on those hallowed beaches.
D-Day: June 6th, 1944, may we never forget.
The Longest Day. It should be a holiday. More men died in a single day than ever before — I’m not even sure if we ever got an accurate count of enemy dead because we were moving so fast and some of them were basically obliterated. We won the biggest battle because of the biggest frontal assault ever and it led to winning the war. Hell yeah, it should be a holiday. One fact I learned on Memorial Day has stuck with me because it truly surprised me — 85% had never been in combat. That staggered me. 129, 710 soldiers landed & 14,000 of those soldiers died. We simply need to recognize June 6 as a national holiday and we don’t need to move to it the nearest Monday to have a pseudo-holiday and a 3-day weekend. June 6 — the day — every year — to remember. Never Forget!