A Moment Of Silence: D-Day, June 6, 1944

[Zomby Woof]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Normandy_Invasion,_June_1944.jpg

"You will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely....The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory." - General Dwight D. Eisenhower giving the D-Day order on June 6, 1944.

[UndertheOcean]

1. For ALL the fallen on that day , on both sides.

[uppityperson]

8. Many of the Germans who were killed were young conscripted (drafted) men

One of the very impressive sites in Normandy is not the US cemetery but the German one at Le Cambe. 5 acres of a very solemn cemetery, black crosses in sets of 5, with more than 700 buried there. Each person has not only their name, but date of birth and death (if known). So many are young, late teens, early 20's. It is a very solemn place, and quite a tribute to the occupiers.

[Captain Hilts]

2. No wonder the German solider looking at the radar said, "there aren't that many ships in the world..

it must be an annomoly/anomoly/anomoley."

[abq e streeter]

3. At the risk of breaking the silence, to any WW2 vets reading this thread: THANK YOU

from the bottom of my heart and the depths of my soul.

[siligut]

4. Thank you and K&R.

I will leave the irony for another day.

[TahitiNut]

5. Somewhere in that mess is my Uncle Bert. He was later in the Battle of the Bulge.

He died 40 years ago in a VA hospital from complications due to alcoholism.

:patriot:

My Uncle Paul was at Hickham when the Japanese attacked.
My Uncle Frank served in North Africa and the Middle East.
My father was a SeaBee in the Pacific.
My Uncle Bernard served in England and Europe.
My Uncle Everett served in the Army in the Pacific.
My Uncle Martin served stateside and then in Occupation forces in Europe.
My Uncle Dick was Airborne.

They're all dead now.

:patriot:

[Zomby Woof]

6. Thanks to all of them

I cannnot imagine what any of them went through - and D-Day AND the Bulge? Wow.

:patriot:

[TahitiNut]

9. These were the families (my mother's and father's) I was born into in 1943.

I can vaguely remember the service star pennants hung in the windows. I can vaguely remember their "homecomings." Growing up in the aftermath of WW2 and a family so involved in it was instrumental in learning about history and geography, even before I started school. My mother's parents were Norwegian immigrants from around 1917-1918 and they both had family and friends in Norway during the German occupation ... the Quisling days. "Quisling" was one of the first epithets I learned. My very first "toys" were WW2 surplus items ... including these Bakelite scale model airplanes used for silhouette recognition training. Later, I had a dummy M-1 carbine -- used for drill and training and never functional. Playing "war" (and POW camp) with my friends one afternoon, one of them (playing "guard") split open the forehead of another (playing "prisoner") by hitting him on the head with the muzzle of the dummy M-1. The blood just streamed down that kid's face! I guess it took at least 4-6 stitches to close the gash. I can still remember my father swinging the dummy rifle across the trunk of the crab apple tree, splintering it and trashing it. Boy, was he angry!! I "couldn't be trusted" ... even though I didn't do it it was my "toy" that was used.

[omega minimo]

7. The War to End All Wars ------ kR

[jus_the_facts]

10. I need one for my nephew....

...I'm not allowed to comment anymore about *the case*....can't even have a service for him for who knows how long....my soul has been nuked. :nuke: