67 Years Ago

[nicholst55]

13,000 American and British paratroopers were dropping into Hitler's Fortress Europe; the long-awaited invasion of Europe had begun. Hundreds of these paratroopers would die in flaming aircraft, flooded fields, and as they floated to earth. Beginning at dawn the next day, some 108,000 Allied troops were put ashore. By June 12, 326,000 troops and 54,000 vehicles were ashore; by July 2d, another 929,000 men and 177,000 vehicles were ashore.

I met one of those paratroopers a few years ago; he was 18 years old when he jumped into Normandy. He said that he lived the equivalent of 100 years between then and VE Day!

It's men like him that made this country free. If you know or meet a WWII vet, thank him or her. They're dying at a prodigious rate - estimates range between 1,000-2,000 every single day.

Hooah!

[WILCO]

D-Day website:http://www.army.mil/d-day/

[WILCO]

Best D-Day movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqFn_pM5QxU

[beagle]

Yeah, at 5 minutes past midnight last night, many years ago, Cpt Frank LIlliman of the 101st Airborne Pathfinders was the first man to parachute into what was to become the Normandy beachead.

Lord please bless the 101st soldiers both then and the ones now deployed which have given and are giving so much to preserve our way of life and our freedoms and Happy Birthday to the 101st which considers the 6th of June their birthday./beagle

[Moonie]

Had an Uncle that was 101st in Korea, I didn't know until after he died 15 years ago. Missed opportunities, God bless every one of them.

[scrapcan]

Aye, thank you soldiers, sailors, Marines, and aviators. We shall not forget.

[6.5 mike]

The man who lives next door to me was one of them, combat medic, 17 years old at the time.

[Lee]

Yep. Not a mention of this in our local, liberal newspaper.
The only reference I found was Snoopy in a Peanuts comic strip, back pages........
God bless and a salute to all those who have served, and are serving........................(" still looking for an American flag waving smilie..." )

[DIRT Farmer]

I knew an old crippled up man at church functions, always friendly and wanting to help out more than age allowed. My youngest son came one morning in his class A proud of the 101st patch on his shoulder The old man came up to my son, shook his hand and stated, I only got to jump 4 times. My sons jaw dropped, then He saluted the old man. There were not many 4s let alone the ones who got the 5th jump.
He died last summer, I pray he got his jump into heaven, I am sure he saw enough hell.

[Lively Boy]

God Bless them all ...past, present and future! Thank You!

[462]

My father wasn't there. However, at age 30 he enlisted in the Army and served in the Air Forces in North Africa and Italy.

[quack1]

One of my dad's hunting buddys was there. They hunted ducks a lot, but when John would go they never took the boat, they'd just wade in the swamp. The whole area we hunted was wadeable, but taking a small boat was much easier than wading and humping sacks of decoys on our backs. When dad and I would go we would take the boat, but John would always refuse the boat ride and say he'd just meet us where we hunted. One day I asked dad why he would never use the boat. Turns out, John was a driver in one of those tanks that were supposed to float when they were driven off the landing craft. When he drove the tank off the landing craft, it immediately sank like a rock and he was the only one that made it out. Guess I'd be afraid of getting in a boat after that, too.

[fatnhappy]

My wife's grandfather landed on D+3 and fought until VE day.

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h152/lhsjfk3t/000_0084.jpg


My Uncle Jim landed on D+6. He was killed in action December 24th in Belgium.

[kywoodwrkr]

They're dying at a prodigious rate - estimates range between 1,000-2,000 every single day.

Hooah!
Don't know how many national cemeteries we have but there were 26 burials scheduled at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, IL. last Friday, June 3,2011.
Outstanding reverence to the departed, their family and to their service.

[Bad Water Bill]

The fishing website I frequent helped plant 23,000 flags for our fallen vets at A Lincoln cemetery.

Quite a sight to see. At the burial site there is a salute of 6 guns, taps is played then a bag piper plays Amazing Grace.

Some day it will be my turn, lets hope many years into the future.but I know I will be with friends.

[kywoodwrkr]

The fishing website I frequent helped plant 23,000 flags for our fallen vets at A Lincoln cemetery.

Quite a sight to see. At the burial site there is a salute of 6 guns, taps is played then a bag piper plays Amazing Grace.

Some day it will be my turn, lets hope many years into the future.but I know I will be with friends.
Bagpipes would have really done me in!
My cousin had a friend who was in the Coast Guard play taps for his service and then the resident bugler as an echo.
Weather there made my eyes get wet, my nose get plugged and the hair on the nape of my neck stand up. Not quite sure what other 'ailments' I would have experienced if there had been bagpipes helping with the mourning.
Truly emotional environment.

[casterofboolits]

Our family put at least platoon into WW2. My Dad and his three brothers, My Mom's Brother (who became a casualty on 25 Dec. 1945) and a horde of cousins out of the hollers of Kentucky. Good ole boys every one!

God bless them all.

[sureroof]

It's been said that they are the greatest generation of people in history. They defeated the strongest army in history up till that time then came home and built the wealthiest country in the world.

[StrawHat]

My Dad celebrated his birthday while standing watch in the engine room of a tanker making the trip from England to the continent. He was a merchant seaman (Engineer) and was involved in every one of the European and African invasion convoys.

[cajun shooter]

Most of my entire family on both sides were in and fought in the European Theater. That's the reason that I signed up in 1965 after High School and put both of my sons in as they finished school also. We all have a huge debt to pay for all those that came before us. We have had family in every branch of the service. I put one son in the Marine Corp and the other in the Army.

[MtGun44]

We spent a few days in 2009 at Normandy and battle areas behind the beaches. Visited some
of the key sites that Easy Company from Band of Brothers book and TV fought. Actually
seeing the places, sitting in the church in Augoville where two US medics treated Americans and
Germans side by side all day while the battle moved control from US to German to US, and the
medic bringin them in brought all wounded, and the Germans honored the medics and left them
alone to tend both sides. No soldiers died in that church that day. Two Silver Stars were earned.
Two mortar rounds dropped into the church, the shattered floor tiles and holes in the roof
are still there, but one was a dud, and one was delayed, only exploding without effect after
being tossed outside.

http://sparkyasundevil.tripod.com/id17.html

http://www.screamingducks.com/Page01-RaV-Med0001.html

Visiting the places and hearing the details of combat and heroism forever makes much more
real for me.

I encourage anyone to visit these places and walk the battlefields, beaches and graveyards
of these great battles.

Bill