June 6 1944
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 783
Likes: 1
From: Chicago Area, Illinois
My grandfather Alex Sr was on the beach During the invasion of Normandy. June 6th was also his 21st birthday. Thank God he was able to live to tell the tale! Sadly his cousin Pat did not survive and was killed there. God Bless all the men who fought there!
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 2,922
Likes: 9
A tremendous "Thank You" to all who landed at Normandy on 6/6/44 and to all those who served at home and abroad during WWII.
I had a chance a couple of weeks ago to stop and see the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA. It's about 30 minutes east of Roanoke, an easy side trip if you are passing thru the valley of Virginia along I-81. It tells the story of D-Day as well as the fate of a company of men from this small Virginia town that paid such a heavy price on that day. Can't remember the numbers exactly but approximately 120 men from that community of 3200 were in a company that saw action on Omaha Beach that day of which 19 were killed during the landing and more during the subsequent push inland. A devastating loss especially from a percentage basis. I saw where the last survivor of this company just passed away in April 2009. May all who gave their lives on that day and those that landed on that beach that are no longer with us, Rest in Peace. Thank you for a job well done.
I had a chance a couple of weeks ago to stop and see the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA. It's about 30 minutes east of Roanoke, an easy side trip if you are passing thru the valley of Virginia along I-81. It tells the story of D-Day as well as the fate of a company of men from this small Virginia town that paid such a heavy price on that day. Can't remember the numbers exactly but approximately 120 men from that community of 3200 were in a company that saw action on Omaha Beach that day of which 19 were killed during the landing and more during the subsequent push inland. A devastating loss especially from a percentage basis. I saw where the last survivor of this company just passed away in April 2009. May all who gave their lives on that day and those that landed on that beach that are no longer with us, Rest in Peace. Thank you for a job well done.
Government Teat-sucker
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 9,748
Likes: 1
From: Virginia Beach
Bedford, VA is about 4 hours from me. I think I might make a day trip out of it this summer. Good excuse to get the bike out for the day. I dan't have any living relatives that were at Normundy. I have a family full of veterans and have heard many, many stories of life during the depression, though. My grandmother re-married after my grandfather died and John (her new hubby) told me stories of riding over to the war on a navy ship, and escorting prisoners of war back- he was army. He died a few years ago. It's a shame how quickly the greatest generation is leaving us. This story that President Obama told yesterday almost had me in tears:
"Last night, after visiting this cemetery for one last time, he passed away in his sleep," Obama told a solemn crowd of vets stretching farther than most eyes can see. "Jim was gravely ill when he left his home, and he knew that he might not return. But just as he did sixty-five years ago, he came anyway. May he now rest in peace with the boys he once bled with, and may his family always find solace in the heroism he showed here."
Here's the link:
Jim Norene, a WWII veteran in Normandy, Obama's guest, dies | NowPublic News Coverage
"Last night, after visiting this cemetery for one last time, he passed away in his sleep," Obama told a solemn crowd of vets stretching farther than most eyes can see. "Jim was gravely ill when he left his home, and he knew that he might not return. But just as he did sixty-five years ago, he came anyway. May he now rest in peace with the boys he once bled with, and may his family always find solace in the heroism he showed here."
Here's the link:
Jim Norene, a WWII veteran in Normandy, Obama's guest, dies | NowPublic News Coverage
Elder User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 963
Likes: 1
From: wichita kansas
My Dad landed at Normandy although I don't know at which beach. He went to war in Africa, then to Italy and then Europe. He said that he felt like that he marched from Africa all the way to Germany.
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 12,186
Likes: 18
From: St. Charles, Missouri.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
Thread Starter
|
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 23,849
Likes: 20
From: McKenzie River
This would be D-Day +2, the invasion was still a tenuous thing. German forces were counterattacking and there was great fear that Rommel's Panzers would still sweep the allies back into the sea (Hitler would not give the order), these days and weeks after the invasion saw more US casualties than the landing itself..............Thank you, to everyone who responded and shared some of their families history of this historic time.............Remember the heros.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Meridian_Mike
General NON-Automotive Conversation
12
Jun 11, 2019 07:52 AM
Chuck 6083
General NON-Automotive Conversation
5
May 21, 2002 11:09 PM