Today – June 6, 2019 – is the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, France, during World War II. It was the beginning of the end of Nazi oppression in Europe. American, British, Canadian, Polish, Czechoslovakian, and other Allied forces suffered over 9,000 casualties. But eleven months later – almost to the day (May 7, 1945) – the Nazi forces surrendered.
Here are some wonderful resources that demonstrate the significance of that day:
- Get an excellent overview with this booklet from the American Battle Monuments Commission about the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial: https://www.abmc.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Normandy%20AC%20Cemetery%20Booklet.pdf
- U.S. Army D-Day site: https://www.army.mil/d-day/index.html
- Citations of the men who won the Medal of Honor for their actions on D-Day: https://www.army.mil/d-day/history.html#honor
- Listen to General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s D-Day message: https://www.army.mil/d-day/history.html#
- Read the text of General Eisenhower’s message: http://www.kansasheritage.org/abilene/ikespeech.html
- General Eisenhower’s character – “good old-fashioned Kansas modesty” (see especially the final page): https://www.archives.gov/files/publications/prologue/2014/spring/d-day.pdf
- Watch President Ronald Reagan’s speech to veterans at Pointe du Hoc on the 40th anniversary of D-Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEIqdcHbc8I
- Read the text of President Reagan’s speech: http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/reagan-d-day.htm
- American Battle Monuments Commission Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial site: https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/normandy-american-cemetery
- One of the best books on D-Day is Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day (available at Amazon)
- The Longest Day film (available at Amazon)
- Finally, the speech that – thankfully – never had to be made: https://isi.org/intercollegiate-review/the-dwight-d-eisenhower-d-day-speech-that-never-happened/ {NB: Please note the one person who would have taken all the blame.}
SCRIPTORIUM HALL 