For many of us, it was a date we learned in history class - June 6, 1944. It wasn't until many years later that we watched movies like "The Longest Day" and "Saving Private Ryan" and began to get a glimpse of the true heroism of those who participated in this great undertaking. If you had relatives who fought and survived, there was a good chance they didn't speak about it much. They came home after the war and resumed their lives. If you had relatives who died on that day, you still might not to this day know the circumstances of their death. It was war on a massive scale, carnage that the human mind truly has difficulty understanding.
We are losing the remaining veterans of World War II at an ever-increasing rate. Even the youngest of those veterans - those who got into the armed services by lying about their age - are in their mid-80s. On this day, we need to thank all those who took that first step to freeing Europe and the world from the grips of Nazi Germany. They truly were the Greatest Generation and, as I get older, I appreciate their sacrifice even more.
Thank you to each of them.
We are losing the remaining veterans of World War II at an ever-increasing rate. Even the youngest of those veterans - those who got into the armed services by lying about their age - are in their mid-80s. On this day, we need to thank all those who took that first step to freeing Europe and the world from the grips of Nazi Germany. They truly were the Greatest Generation and, as I get older, I appreciate their sacrifice even more.
Thank you to each of them.