D-DAY; June 6th

[Colonialgirl]

May all those brave souls that perished on the Beaches of Normandy REST In PEACE secure in the knowledge that their lives helped free Europe and the world of an evil Tyranny.

 

[Fox Mike]

Many gave their all so that we can do what we are doing today. A "Thank you!" is never enough. My uncle was a member of the 82nd that dropped that fateful morning. He made it but rarely spoke of it.

 

[don44]

We will remember!

 

[Selena]

May all those brave souls that perished on the Beaches of Normandy REST In PEACE secure in the knowledge that their lives helped free Europe and the world of an evil Tyranny.

Not to downgrade the role of the RAF he referred to in this quote but I believe Mr Churchill's quote covers those men that invaded France on those fateful few days in France.

'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.'

 

[contender]

In my fathers family, he as well as 3 of his brothers were in WWII. And of the 4 of them, 3 returned home from the war. My uncle Freddy was killed during the invasion of Normandy. RIP uncle,,, Freddy Phillips.
I never forget this day.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

May all those brave souls that perished on the Beaches of Normandy REST In PEACE secure in the knowledge that their lives helped free Europe and the world of an evil Tyranny.

Not to downgrade the role of the RAF he referred to in this quote but I believe Mr Churchill's quote covers those men that invaded France on those fateful few days in France.

'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.'

Selena,
I do believe that quote you quoted was made for the RAF Pilots during The Battle Of Britton given on 20 August 1940. :wink: The Britts won that battle and the Germans were not able to invade due to not controlling the air over the beaches as we did for D Day.

 

[Jack1]

 

[Selena]

May all those brave souls that perished on the Beaches of Normandy REST In PEACE secure in the knowledge that their lives helped free Europe and the world of an evil Tyranny.

Not to downgrade the role of the RAF he referred to in this quote but I believe Mr Churchill's quote covers those men that invaded France on those fateful few days in France.

'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.'

Selena,
I do believe that quote you quoted was made for the RAF Pilots during The Battle Of Britton given on 20 August 1940. :wink: The Britts won that battle and the Germans were not able to invade due to not controlling the air over the beaches as we did for D Day.

That quote was referring to the RAF fighter pilots in the Battle of Britain where the RAF was about the only defense against enemy bombers. I fully believe and contend that it suits those brave Brit, Canadian and American soldiers that participated that short week in June when the residents of hell were glad they weren't in France.

 

[GunnyGene]

I can't verify the authenticity of this, but it's worth the read.

You could have heard a pin drop

At a time when our president and other politicians tend to apologize for our country's prior actions, here's a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country.

These are good

JFK'S
Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when
DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all US
military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded,
"Does that include those who are buried here?"

DeGaulle
did not respond.

You
could have heard a pin drop.



When in England ,
at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the
Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of
'empire building' by George Bush.

He answered by saying,
"Over the years, the United States has sent many of
its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom
beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for
in return is enough to bury those that did not
return."

You
could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was a conference in France
where a number of international engineers
were taking part, including French and American. During a break,
one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, "Have you
heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft
carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he
intend to do, bomb them?"

A Boeing engineer
stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three
hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are
nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to
shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to
feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand
gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a
dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and
from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships;
how many does France have?"

You
could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral
was attending a naval conference that included
Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French
Navies At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large
group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries.
Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a
French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many
languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, "Why is it that
we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than
speaking French?"

Without hesitating,
the American Admiral replied, "Maybe it's because the
Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't
have to speak German."

You
could have heard a pin drop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AND
THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...

Robert Whiting,
an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane.
At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport
in his carry on.

"You
have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked
sarcastically.

Mr. Whiting
admitted that he had been to France
previously.

"Then
you should know enough to have your passport ready."

The American said,
"The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible..
Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France !"

The American senior
gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he
quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in
1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen
to show a passport to."

You
could have heard a pin drop

 

[Jack1]

Sir Winston Churchills quote 'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.' refers to the RAF who flew against the German luftwaffe in the Summer and Winter of 1940. A period referred to as 'the Battle of Britain'Had we lost then Hitler was free to launch operation Sea Lion which was the invasion of the British Isles.

France is only 20 miles away from England and the county of Kent where I live was very much the front line. Children at the time would watch the dog fights from their back gardens

Best

Jack

 

[Rick Courtright]

I do believe that quote you quoted was made for the RAF Pilots during The Battle Of Britton given on 20 August 1940. :wink: The Britts won that battle and the Germans were not able to invade due to not controlling the air over the beaches as we did for D Day.

Hi,

Jim, I think we're supposed to go easy on the little girl: she's still honing up her Google skills, ya know. "Read one article, you're an expert!" :roll:

In the mean time, let's welcome new member Jack1 who could probably tell us more over a pint than we'd read in all the history books the average kid sees in schools this side of the pond today! And celebrate 93 yr old Jim Martin, a veteran of the 101st who jumped into Normandy 70 years ago, and did "one more" jump to commemorate the event just yesterday:

From Reuters via HuffPo (this is neither the time or place for the usual suspects to be snarky about the source):

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/04/d-day-anniversary-veteran-paratrooper-jump_n_5447257.html?utm_hp_ref=world

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/05/jim-martin-photo_n_5455567.html

Saw him on the news yesterday after he'd made the jump, and one might think he was ready to go right back up in honor of his fellows!

Rick C

 

[Rick Courtright]

I can't verify the authenticity of this, but it's worth the read.

Hi,

Gunny, I've seen most of that somewhere before, and, like yourself, can't verify the authenticity. Doesn't matter, though: the points are all valid! Thanks for bringing this back for us.

Rick C

 

[Wyandot Jim]

In the mean time, let's welcome new member Jack1 who could probably tell us more over a pint than we'd read in all the history books the average kid sees in schools this side of the pond today! And celebrate 93 yr old Jim Martin, a veteran of the 101st who jumped into Normandy 70 years ago, and did "one more" jump to commemorate the event just yesterday:

Welcome Jack1. Yea that would be great. I'll even drink warm beer to hear those stories .
Naa they do have cold beer when the Lucas refrigerator is almost working.
I have spent some time around London and Brighton Beach while staying in one of the Previous Queen's Manor Houses and loved it. The flying over the country is just spectacular.
Drank beer in Old Pubs that were there before Columbus could spell America :wink:

 

[sfhogman]

Well, the usual suspects beat me to it, as usual. anyhoo,

Welcome Aboard, Jack!

Jeff

 

[Jack1]

In the mean time, let's welcome new member Jack1 who could probably tell us more over a pint than we'd read in all the history books the average kid sees in schools this side of the pond today! And celebrate 93 yr old Jim Martin, a veteran of the 101st who jumped into Normandy 70 years ago, and did "one more" jump to commemorate the event just yesterday:

Welcome Jack1. Yea that would be great. I'll even drink warm beer to hear those stories .
Naa they do have cold beer when the Lucas refrigerator is almost working.
I have spent some time around London and Brighton Beach while staying in one of the Previous Queen's Manor Houses and loved it. The flying over the country is just spectacular.
Drank beer in Old Pubs that were there before Columbus could spell America :wink:

'Fraid to say that the days of warm beer are prety much gone. Go to any supermarket and there are beers from the world over and most suggest "serve chilled". We do have Real Ales made the very old ways almost with the hops still in the glass in a few traditional pubs but many are closing or changing into wine bars.
In the RAF theme my local Kentish brewery produced a beer call 'Spitfire' in time for the Battle of Britain anniversary.
Best
Jack

 

[wwb]

Several years back, "The Boss" and I visited Normandy. It was early June, but not one of the 10-year anniversaries, so there were no big doings that year.

Just east of Omaha beach, there was a small "Mom and Pop" museum called the Big Red One Museum, dedicated to the First Infantry Division (the 1st and the 29th were the two U.S. Army divisions that landed on Omaha). Even though it was not as impressive as many of the displays we had seen, I wanted to see what they had, since I was in the 1st Div. in Vietnam.

I was wearing a Vietnam Veteran cap with the Big Red One on it, and when we got to the door, this little 80-something French lady, with tears in her eyes, refused to let me pay admission. Through the whole two weeks we were there, we were treated like royalty by the folks 70 and older, but pretty much ignored by the people too young to have lived it.

 

[GunnyGene]

Several years back, "The Boss" and I visited Normandy. It was early June, but not one of the 10-year anniversaries, so there were no big doings that year.

Just east of Omaha beach, there was a small "Mom and Pop" museum called the Big Red One Museum, dedicated to the First Infantry Division (the 1st and the 29th were the two U.S. Army divisions that landed on Omaha). Even though it was not as impressive as many of the displays we had seen, I wanted to see what they had, since I was in the 1st Div. in Vietnam.

I was wearing a Vietnam Veteran cap with the Big Red One on it, and when we got to the door, this little 80-something French lady, with tears in her eyes, refused to let me pay admission. Through the whole two weeks we were there, we were treated like royalty by the folks 70 and older, but pretty much ignored by the people too young to have lived it.

The lives of warriors are strung like pearls on a necklace from time immemorial. Something that those who are good at enjoying freedom, but not good at defending it, will never understand.

 

[RugerHound]

This is fabulous... Simply fabulous.

93 year old vet relives his jump! Stunning!

They may still make 'em like Pee Wee, but they sure as hell don't make many of 'em...

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/06/145103-watch-93-year-old-wwii-vet-jim-pee-wee-martin-jumps-normandy/

 

[Colonialgirl]

Sir Winston Churchills quote 'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.' refers to the RAF who flew against the German luftwaffe in the Summer and Winter of 1940. A period referred to as 'the Battle of Britain'Had we lost then Hitler was free to launch operation Sea Lion which was the invasion of the British Isles.

France is only 20 miles away from England and the county of Kent where I live was very much the front line. Children at the time would watch the dog fights from their back gardens

Best

Jack

Welcome Aboard Jack;
I've got a couple of friends that live just south of Manchester and I've been over several times to visit them. We did tour the Peaks District and the Lakes District and made one foray over into Wales. Had an Uncle in the Airborne, but can't recall if it was the 101 or the 82nd and he never spoke about it.
I have a long ago family tie to England; A great something Grandfather that was appointed a vicar of a church in Middlesex by QE 1 in 1675, That would have been Richard Culver.

 

[Rick Courtright]

I have a long ago family tie to England; A great something Grandfather that was appointed a vicar of a church in Middlesex by QE 1 in 1675, That would have been Richard Culver.

Hi,

I'd imagine quite a lot of our members here have a family tie to England, whether recent or long ago. I understand my family has several, the best documented being on my maternal grandfather's paternal side. That branch came here from Weymouth some time between about 1620 and 1630. My English geography is poor, but I understand Weymouth played an important part in those events of seven decades ago we honor today. The world really isn't that big, is it?

Rick C

 

[Jack1]

Hi Hawkeye

Weymouth is a very nice town in West Sussex on the south coast of England and yes it played an important part in the invasion. Nowadays it is a holiday resort

Best

Jack

 

[Fox Mike]

Sir Winston Churchills quote 'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few.' refers to the RAF who flew against the German luftwaffe in the Summer and Winter of 1940. A period referred to as 'the Battle of Britain'Had we lost then Hitler was free to launch operation Sea Lion which was the invasion of the British Isles.

France is only 20 miles away from England and the county of Kent where I live was very much the front line. Children at the time would watch the dog fights from their back gardens

Best

Jack

I visited Great Britain in 1954 as a CAP International Exchange Cadet. Beef rationing had just been lifted. I spoke with quite a few that had witnessed, and were 'right there', during the blitz. The citizens of the US have no idea the destruction that was seen there and the way the British subjects endured it, unless of course they had been there at that time. In '54 there were still bombed out areas in many places I visited.

 

[Rick Courtright]

I spoke with quite a few that had witnessed, and were 'right there', during the blitz. The citizens of the US have no idea the destruction that was seen there and the way the British subjects endured it, unless of course they had been there at that time.

Hi,

So true... myself included!

I'm often amazed at the spirit of those on both sides of the pond during those years. Had two clients who were little girls during the Blitz. One lived in London, the other, from a nearby town, had relatives in the city. If I'm not mistaken, the second one's husband was also from the general area.

They both told similar stories, of people going "to shelter" (basements?) each night when the sirens went off, then getting up the next morning to help clean up some of the mess before the next night's raids. I always found it amazing how matter of factly they took such horrible events considering how young they'd been... "We just did what needed to be done" was the way one told me her story. Seems we've heard similar words many, many times?

Rick C

 

[Jack1]

Hi Hawkeye

The area in Kent where my parents lived in WW2 was regularly bombed. In fact when my Dad came home on leave he couldn't wait to get back to the fighting.
Many households used what was called an 'Anderson shelter' which was basically sheets of corrugated cast iron. Others like my Dad dug down for 6 to 8 feet and built a shelter of concrete with a blast wall at the entrance. It would protect from blast but not a direct hit plus they would flood and there was no heating. Public shelters were built and there were times of those receiving direct hits with and tens if not hundreds of innocent people and children killed. And, the very next day people would go to work. We were not going to let Hitler beat us! It still I believe speaks of 'British reserve' People would have followed Winston Churchill wherever he said.
Best
Jack