A Day to Remember

Nearly 30 years ago, I began researching my family history.  Some of you might find the subject boring, but I find it’s fascinating.  Our families did a lot to get where they are in the world today, and many have become forgotten over the years, their struggles and sacrifices having become lost with their passing.

Among those many people I have in my family tree, military service was a rite of passage.  A person did what they could for their newly adopted country, and they served right alongside many others that shaped our lives.  From the Revolutionary War to the war we fight nowadays, their sacrifices are something that should never be forgotten.

Unfortunately, many of our youth has forgotten.

Today, of all days, was a significant part of World War II that our children don’t recall.

I remember the critical points of this day, due to the tales that were told by my great-uncles and my grandfather.  When I lived in Germany, my father took us to this beach and explained the importance of that simple tract of land.  It’s an isolated beach and, when I went, shadowed by dark storm clouds and buffeted by a gray expanse of freezing ocean.  At that time, I couldn’t imagine so many young men doing the unthinkable, putting their lives on the line in a strange county, for an operation that didn’t quite go as planned.

Not being able to share the same experience with my children, I’ve pulled out the old, faded photographs to share with them.  We’ve watched the struggles of the young soldiers that changed the course of the war in such tear-jerking films as Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, and I’ve told them the stories of my uncles, all gone now to their eternal resting place…

Today, on June 6, 1944, the Allied forces crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France.  Their bravery and heroism became a turning point to World War II.  This strategic invasion became known as D-Day.

My heartfelt thanks and utmost respect goes out to the servicemen involved in that operation and their families.

Related articles

Fragments of D-Day Battle Found in Omaha Beach Sand (livescience.com)
Remembrance (timesleader.com)
D-Day: “We will never surrender” (waronterrornews.typepad.com)
Memorial Day in Normandy (triciaannemitchell.com)