On June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied soldiers clambered aboard heaving landing craft and braved six-foot swells, waves of machine gun fire, and more than six million mines to claim a stretch of sand at a place called Normandy.
Their mission was to carve out an Allied foothold on the edge of Nazi-occupied Europe for the army of more than one million that would follow them in the summer of 1944. This army would burst forth from the beachhead, rolling across Europe into the heart of Germany, liberating millions, toppling a genocidal regime, and ending a nightmare along the way. But it all began on the beaches in France, with an army of teenagers on a day called D-Day.
General Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end on June 6, the Allies gained a foothold in Normandy. The D-Day cost was high -- more than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded -- but more than 100,000 soldiers began the march across Europe to defeat Hitler.
The 65th anniversary of D-Day will find our youngest D-Day and WWII veterans turning 82 years of age. The years to come will find even fewer of them among us, and fewer still able to travel and share their stories.
Because that day will arrive all too soon, the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, located in Bedford, Virginia, will present “Overlord Echoes” June 4-7, 2009, to allow veterans and the public to share information and perspectives on D-Day with the larger purpose of preserving the lessons and legacy of that decisive moment in history.
The Memorial is a place where the lessons and legacy of D-Day are remembered and preserved, a place where veterans of all ages are welcomed and honored, a place where visitors discover and recognize the worthy service of those who answer duty’s call, a place where gravity and dignity are hallmarks.
All who enter it are reminded of the heavy price that heartland communities have paid, and still pay, for freedom.
May God bless our World War II veterans, and let them know we have not forgotten their courage and the sacrifices they made for our country on this day 65 years ago.
