Remembering D-Day:
June 6, 1944: A salute…to all the fallen heroes of D-Day, June 6, 1944, and to those heroes still standing with us today. It was your courage and sacrifices that spelled the beginning of the end for the worst evils of mankind. Today, 80 years later, when someone goes to Normandy and stands on the cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc between Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, you suddenly realize what courage and sacrifice really mean. When you climb inside the concrete bunkers and see the negligible effect naval bombardment had on them, you immediately recognize the immensity of the task those soldiers scaling the treacherous heights faced. And when you visit the American Cemetery with its forest of crosses and stars you are confronted with an overwhelming sense of pride, sorrow and gratitude to the thousands of men and women who participated in D-Day. 80 years later, we thank those we came to know.
Thank you to Yogi Berra, Charles Durning, Henry Fonda, JD Salinger, Medgar Evers, Alec Guinness, Bobby Jones, David Niven, Richard Todd and James Doohan. Thank you to the 160,000 dogfaces, Brits, ANZACs and free French who were there. And thank you to all the souls that still wander on those Normandy beaches and in those heights to this very day.