Remembering D day

Michael TMichael T Member Posts: 7,227 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited June 2016 in Non-Boating Related

72 years ago today my Father and his brother in law hit the beaches of Europe in Operation Overlord with 156, 000 other young men and women.

Many did not make it off the beach, including many of my Father's friends. My Father's brother in law (who would have been my Uncle Charles "Chuck") did not survive the first week.

The major newspaper edited in my country's capitol did not even mention that it was D day, today.

To those who served and fell my great appreciation, gratitude and respect.

To those who now serve my great appreciation, gratitude and respect.

To those who have participated in D Day and see no mention of it and to the families of those who died for us, my apologies.

 I certainly have not forgotten.

Post edited by Michael T on
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  • NavyCTRCNavyCTRC Member Posts: 303 ✭✭✭
    MT,

    Hats off to your father and Uncle.  This country has forgotten what the greatest generation sacrificed for us, it's shameful.

    CTRC(SW/SS) Retired USN

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  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,756 mod
    One of the most moving experiences of my life was visiting Normandy in 1994, shortly after the 50th anniversary.  The beaches, the cliffs, the bomb craters ... a crater the size of my house is considered a medium-sized bomb crater.  Blew my mind.

    Another thing amazed me: the outpouring of gratitude from the French people.  I'm not talking in the abstract here ... the Admiral and I were walking around (clearly two American tourists) and a couple of the locals actually came up and hugged us in thanks.  
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  • Michael TMichael T Member Posts: 7,227 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2016

    What really blew my mind was visiting the cemeteries across Europe (we lived there for four years). They stretched as far as the eye could see in all directions. The Dutch take the best care of the graves as families adopt a grave site.

    My father commanded an armoured column (tanks and artillery) the drove into Holland. They showed little mercy to the Germans who had punished the Dutch particularly hard (starved and abused them particularly harshly) as the Dutch were the one nationality who did not co-operate with the Germans as a group.

    If the Germans thought they were about to lose a position they blew the dikes flooding all of the land and killing many Dutch.

    I have Dutch news paper clippings of my father being made the honorary Mayor of a Dutch town his men liberated. When we visited the town they insisted on him visiting the local schools who had been taught about him. He had lost a lot of men taking that town.

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  • Michael TMichael T Member Posts: 7,227 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited June 2016
    @NavyCTRC, thank you for your comments and you and your brothers' continuing service and sacrifice for all of us in North America!
    Post edited by Michael T on
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  • MarkBMarkB Member Posts: 3,976 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Not all of us have forgotten. Not all of us will allow those who care less to take away from the sacrifices made. Let's make some noise for those that serve and protect!

    Boat Name: King Kong

    "Boat + Water = Fun"

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  • randy56randy56 Member Posts: 4,083 ✭✭✭✭✭
    June 6 1944, Mt thanks for the reminder, when I read your post I quickly looked at my calender, its not on there, not funny! and its a national geographic calender. Thanks to the brave men like your father and family, we live a great life today. 
    Boat Name : 

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