Today is a special day in history for many folks who have served in the Armed Forces.
D-Day: June 6, 1944. Many brave solders from numerous nations lost their life on this day. Let us not forget their sacrificies.
Tim Anderson, US Army, Retired.
Panman;
Amen!
29,000 Killed In Action plus thousands wounded. If not for the courage of all of those brave men in the invasion we wouldn’t have our liberties today. The greatest alliance in history!
Eric “nighthawk”
American veteran and proud of it!
You might enjoy this site:
[url=http://www.dday.org/:526d1]http://www.dday.org/[/url:526d1]
Eric “nighthawk”
American veteran and proud of it!
In our current ‘politically correct’ society it is much easier to blame the US than to thank those who gave their lives to protect us and the world. Never forget!
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
When I was a young Sergeant with the 82d Airborne Division, we made a jump into Sainte Mere Eglise, France, as part of a D-Day Anniversary observance.
The young folks came out for the show, but the folks who lived through the war treated us like we were the guys who made the D-Day jump. There were flowers, wine, bread, cheese, hugs and handshakes, plus plenty of real tears on the cheeks. They could never forget those brave young soldiers who liberated their town from Nazi occupation and the terrible price they paid doing it.
I spent close to 1 1/2 years in VietNam with 2 Infantry Divisions, but I NEVER was in a totally visible boat, landing on a beach where the enemy could have a clear shot at me, with little or NOTHING around me to hide behind, or jumping from a plane behind enemy lines.
BRAVERY?..GUTS?..I’m not man enough to shine their shoes! GOD Bless them all!
Mike
You can call me Mike & you can call me Mikey…Just remember that this site’s about sharing!
My late uncle, Nick,went in on D plus 4, in a Sherman tank in the 11th Armored div under Patton. He beat the odds by surviving 4 destroyed tanks he escaped from, 2 Purple Hearts. He was even operated on by a captured German surgeon, who restored his sight after he crawled away from one destroyed tank; blinded… When I asked him what was the scariest thing about his time in the service, he didn’t hesitate and said, “The thought ofgoing in on the first day,(which was an option that was on the table for his unit)those poor guys…” his voice trailed off and he had a faraway look in his eyes. Even as a kid, I knew that was the last question for awhile…
“Knowledge is knowing, wisdom is understanding”
Backbeach - I am deeply moved by your remberance of your uncle Nick. War is hell and always will be.
Mike,
You do yourself a disservice. Being in 'nam where day after day you are in close quarters, not having a clear line of site, where the enemy could come from all sides, or even be that person who served you at the bar the night before you too were plenty brave and worthy. A different war in a different time that took equally brave men to go face the enemy each day.
I may not have supported the war, but I support those who fought. Welcome home.
jed
Jed,
Thanks for the kind words, although I can only IMAGINE coming into a beach KNOWING that you were basically target practice. Those guys sucked it up & jumped from the frying pan into the fire. I HAVE to admire that.
Mike
ps: Bottom line is you do what you have to do, & they DID!
You can call me Mike & you can call me Mikey…Just remember that this site’s about sharing!
[This message has been edited by ohiotuber (edited 07 June 2006).]
Ohio Mike, I second what Jed said. You put it on the line bigtime and we appreciate your service and your sacrifice. I don’t think that anyone that serves in any combat situation doesn’t come back without leaving something of him or herself on the field. My Dad island hopped from Guadalcanal to Luzon and he had a hard time fathoming the kind of war you were in; what with no clear indication of who was friendly or hostile. Take Good Care, Jim
“Knowledge is knowing, wisdom is understanding”
My Dad was in the third wave on Sword beach after boarding an LCI from an Indian freighter. He was in the 84th Railsplitters Infantry Division of the 9th Army under Omar Bradley. He was 18 years old at the time. He finished the war as a 1st Sgt. Then later served as a 1st Lt. commanding a 90mm anti-aircraft battery in Korea.
I also have a first cousin that was in the Green Berets and served the duration of the Vietnam War (he was later one of Ross Perot’s body guards) along with an uncle who was a navigator on a B-52.
Robert B. McCorquodale
Sebring, FL
“Flip a fly”
[This message has been edited by dixieangler (edited 11 June 2006).]