This Week…Remembering D-Day and a Special Birthday
Every year on June 6, my post is the same. It is a post to help us remember D-Day, June 1944, Operation Overlord, and the largest amphibious invasion in the history of warfare.
Much has happened in the 82 years since the Allies, using over 5,000 ships and landing craft, landed 150,000 troops on five beaches of Normandy: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.
The facts are staggering, and so are the individual stories. One man told of carrying a rifle and trying not to punch a hole in the glider he was in. He also had a typewriter to record events of the day. Read more stories here.
Think about it…all they did without the technology we have today!
Last year, I shared a surprising fact: a dress rehearsal for the landing was conducted about five weeks before the actual event. Oh, and by the way...live ammunition was used!
While I may not be a student of history, D-Day has always fascinated me. I remain in awe of the sheer scope of the operation and the meticulous planning required to make it happen.
Perhaps most remarkable of all, D-Day's success was not the result of any one individual or nation, but of the coordinated efforts, sacrifice, and determination of countless Allied forces working toward a common goal.
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This day is also the heavenly birthday of my father, Henry. Bear with me as I repeat the story of his D-Day.
On that day, my father, a photographer in the Army Air Corps, asked his Captain if he could have the day off since it was his birthday.
His response was Henry…you’re not going to want to miss this day.
Happy Heavenly Birthday, Dad.
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