I have full confidence in
your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing
less than full Victory! Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty
God upon this great and noble undertaking. - Dwight D. Eisenhower
The eyes of the world are
upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with
you. - Dwight D. Eisenhower
As we will be honoring the 75th
anniversary of D-Day this Thursday June 6, 2019, I took time this past weekend to
reminisce about my time in Normandy, France in 2014.
D-Day was when the Allied (U.S., British
and Canadian) forces coordinated an assault on the German forces on the beaches
of Normandy called Operation Overlord. According
to the D-Day Center, the Allied forces were prepared for the large assault
with:
- 6,939 Ships & Landing Craft
- 10,440 Aircraft
- 156,115 Allied Troops
Normandy had many historical sites and interesting
stories. It was a very moving experience
to walk on the beaches of Normandy where D-Day occurred, look up on the
enormous cliffs that the Allied forces climbed to attack the Germans and then
to see the houses on the top of those cliffs.
The tour guide said that some people stayed in their homes during the
assault. Also, it was very moving walking
the hallowed-grounds at the Normandy American Cemetery viewing the crosses
representing a grave for each of the 9, 387 American soldiers buried there.
However, one story stood out to me more
than any other. As we walked the
beaches, the tour guide said that today people actually sunbath on the Normandy
beaches. I was absolutely appalled. To me, that was where men had died during war
and I thought the beaches were hallowed-ground and needed to be respected. The tour guide said she understood my
perspective; however, she said that she once asked a veteran that fought at
Normandy if he thought it was appropriate for people to sunbath on the beaches
of Normandy. His response was, “I fought
for people to be able to do that.”
CHALLENGE: As we remember this date in history, take time to remember
the importance of D-Day by learning more about it or attending an event in
honor of the anniversary.
To see my pictures of Normandy, France,
here is the Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/terri.flow.3/media_set?set=a.10152428980207294&type=3.
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