Large Scale Central

D-Day reminder

General Discussion
#1

Ladies and Gentlemen - sixty-seven years ago this morning, my Uncle Tom Lord and his late brother Geoffrey, waded ashore with their bicycles over their shoulders for the ride of their lives into nazi-occupied Europe. Along with all the rest of the 150,000 Canadian, British and American troops, they were there to rescue Europe, maybe even the world, from the tyranny of the nazis and all they stood for.

They both survived the landing and the subsequent fighting, and eventually went home to Ontario, where Tom still lives.

Let’s give thanks for them and their lives, whilst remembering with honour and respect the almost ten thousand who never left the beaches, and are still there, in their serried rows, in the hallowed ground they sought the set free.

God Bless Canada, Great Britain and the Commonwealth, and the United States of America, and thank them every day of our lives for the blood they shed for all of us, so that we might be free.

tac

#2

A good post Terry. Many of those troops you mention set off from my part of the world - some to return to their families many not.

We must never forget what they achieved.

#3

Amen!

#4

Watched “The Longest Day” once again last weekend. An amazing piece of history. I don’t think enough people pay attention to what history came before them. Thanks for the reminder. God Bless Them All.

#5

I re-watched Private Ryan a couple months ago, and just got done again with Band of Brothers (5th time? 6th?). I have The Longest Day around here somewhere on DVD, I need to dig it up.

#6

Over here in UK last night we had a a Canadian reminder of what D-Day had been like - a number of veterans, Anglo and Franco and one First Nation veteran talked of their experiences on and around D-Day.

Many of them were in tears, and found it hard to end their sentences. I was in tears watching them and feeling it all with them.

tac

#7

Great post Terry. Although not part of the invasion forces, my dad served in Europe during “the big one” including the Battle of the Bulge. He’s gone now as are so many of our WWII vets. Those few that remain with us deserve our attention and thanks.

#8

My Father was one of the first ashore. Lucky for me, he made it.
But he never talked to us kids about it until we were adults.

#9

June 6, in other news…
1833 – U.S. President Andrew Jackson becomes the first President to ride on a train.

1918 – Battle of Belleau Wood – The U.S. Marine Corps suffers its worst single day’s casualties while attempting to recapture the wood at Chateau-Thierry.

1942 – Battle of Midway. U.S. Navy dive bombers sink the Japanese cruiser Mikuma and four Japanese carriers.

Just another Spring day, eh?

#10

Like many of his generation, my dad served in the WWII when he was a very young man. He survived the blitz in London. As a paratrooper he was dropped behind enemy lines on D-Day which may have been a blessing in disguise. His battalion were also the first dropped over the Rhine River later in the war.

I cannot imagine what it would be like to experience the terror and horror of war at such a young age. He never spoke about it even when I was older. I found out many years later at my uncle’s funeral, that his brother Carl was shot down and endured the death marches from one POW camp to another.

Fortunately he and his brothers all returned home safely, which is good. At that time my mother and two older brothers were being housed by a relative. A year after VE Day, I was born. I was followed by three sisters and two brothers. My sisters and brothers raised 22 grandchildren, and I have lost count of how many great grand children there are.

My dad worked as a CNR conductor, hence my interest in trains. He was an easy going person with a great understanding of people. On my fishing and train trips with him I met native guides, lumberjacks, wealthy business men, members of parliament, etc. He could carry on a conversation with anyone. He lived to be 84 years of age, but his spirit lives on. I see it in my brothers and sisters, and I certainly know he had a great influence over the way I interact with people.

#11

Thanks for the post, tac. They should all be remembered.

#12

Thank you, TAC for the reminder. Had to move the flage holder due to the TV dixh! But it is out now. Yes, I was free on Sat about noon! my father was not in the war? You see he worked in a factory that build B-25s and P-51s and they would not take him into the service, his value was as an enspector in that plant.

Paul

#13

My Canadian Flag is flying proudly, as usual…I’ll never forget…

#14
Fred Mills said:
My Canadian Flag is flying proudly, as usual......I'll never forget......
Here! Here! Fred

None of us should ever forget, the sacrifice of others for our safety.

#15

A friend of mine went ashore on Utah Beach with the second wave. He was a forward air controller.

He found himself at a rest camp near Malmedy, Belgium, on December 16, 1944.

Having a jeep because he was a FAC, he and his team were able to regain contact with the Allies by December 18, 1944.

For those who don’t know about Malmedy, you might want to look it up.

#16

Here’s to freedom that we enjoy and to others that wish they could have what we now cherish… Some gave what they could, some gave it all. In their name I salute you. TOF

#17

My father was in the first wave on Omaha. Never heard him talk about it except one time: he insisted that we go into downtown Pittsburgh to see the premiere showing of The Longest Day. He sat through it without saying a word. After we came out onto the street, my mother asked him what he thought of it. His answer: “That was Bull*&%”

After the breakout from Normandy, he was subsequently assigned to some motor pool transportation company and just happened to driving a deuce and half of supplies to Bastogne when the Bulge started, so he got to experience two of the worst battles in the European theater first hand.

Back in '92, we started to make plans to attend the 50th anniversary at Point du Hoc, but he up and died on me about 6 months before - appropriately enough on Pearl Harbor Day.

Fast forward to 2005. My wife mentions to me that we should take the trip that my father and I had planned for '94. So we flew to Paris and picked up a rental car. First stop Normandy - the plan had been to follow the route of my dad’s outfit to the end of the war on VE Day.

How anyone can view the American Cemetary at Normandy and not cry is beyond me.

Anyway, on VE Day my father was in the small town of Appeldorn, about 20 clicks from Amsterdam. We pulled in there on VE Day, 2005. The town was all dressed up - mostly with Canadian flags as our northern neighbors had been the ones to liberate the town. They had a large bandstand set up, etc., etc., but it was pouring down rain so everyone was crammed into the restaurants and bars surrounding the town square.

The only place we could find that had room for us was a sports bar. What a zoo! Everyone was going nuts over some soccer game and the average age in there was probably 22 to 25.

Anyway, at five minutes of seven (pm) all the screens go black and the place erupted. Then a broadcast of the VE Day celebration started from Damm Plaza (in Amsterdam). It was a VERY formal affair with all the men wearing tuxedos. After several minutes of speeches, this soldier gets up in his dress uniform and plays the Last Post on his bugle. Given where we were and all the young, mostly smashed, people in that bar, we couldn’t believe it - there was a total, absolute, dead silence in that place for the entire playing of that tune. I can’t think of anything that could have that effect over here.

As we were obviously Americans, there were several patrons that came over and thanked us for what America had done in both world wars.

Got all choked up for the second time on that trip.

Brian
Taxachusetts