As the hours count down to the start of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, you might find it interesting to see these details of this massive historical event:
As the hours count down to the start of the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, you might find it interesting to see these details of this massive historical event:
I was very pleased with your choice of PragerU’s D-Day video. A couple of days ago I sent this missive to my children.
With D-Day just a few days away I hope you will find this worth your time. It will take you only 11 minutes and 11 seconds to watch these two videos below.
(1) Churchill: The Man Who Saved the Free World (5:37)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djW36C3t_dQ
(2) D-Day (5:34)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHsAmOR5m00
Lastly, below is an opinion piece I would also ask you to read. It should cause you some introspection. Everyone of us has an indebtedness and obligation to at least acknowledge and remember a generation of men and women who sacrificed their lives for us and for a future they would never know.
‘What the hell have you done with the tomorrows we gave you?’
https://www.nationalnewswatch.com/2019/05/28/what-the-hell-have-you-done-with-the-tomorrows-we-gave-you-2/
Notice no mention of Canadians, even though they were the first to achieve their objective and move further inland than projected. Will watch “The Longest Day”; the only mention of us is when someone says something to the effect of “the Canadians have cleared the beach and are moving inland”.
On this day, remembering father, three uncles, and two uncles-in-law who were all involved in WW II. Know where a couple of them were – Dad as a (reluctant) RCAF instructor based in Canada and the younger uncle-in-law who was invalided out after being wounded at Cortona. The other uncle-in-law was in the merchant marine, toiling in the engine rooms of ships cris-crossing the Atlantic. The other three were all in England and suspect crossed over some days after but don’t know their story. They came home, resumed their lives, and didn’t say much about their experiences. On this day, I remember and honour them all.
@Frances: I heard there was another mention in that movie of Canadians when there was a screw up with carrier pigeons, the Canadian chaplain, Father Hickey, of the North Shore regiment of NB, had some choice words for some pigeons that flew the wrong way with their messages during the early hours. Pigeons were used at the very start of the landing since communications were not set up well. And I thought pigeons were only used in WW1.
I always remember D-Day June 6, 1944 (having been a teenager when everyone 17-1/2 yrs and older was in one of the forces), but also remember Italy. Those boys didn’t get any respect even from soldiers they had gone to school with and trained with so in the days leading up to June 6th, they are also in my thoughts. In our small town, they wouldn’t be among the returned vets at the Legion joking about their experiences and I expect it was like that across the country.
Respect, admiration and gratefulness to all.
Gellen, you may be gratified to know there is an annual “D-Day Dodgers” reunion still going among 1st/5th Div vets from the Italian campaign. Without any disrespect to the NW Europe vets, the 1st and 5th were generally judged the Canadian Army’s best fighting troops.
a buddy of mine, his uncle Ed Vosding was, get this, *15* when he went to Italy. ye olde lied about his age thing.
the thing he remembered most was the cold.
I never talked to him about it, rather waited for him to bring it up but he never did.
years later after studying that conflict for some 50 yrs now, well, the only thing missing now is the personal experience stuff.
When I was 36 I visited Normandy. I went to several Canadian cemeteries. As I walked amongst the headstones, I saw that every soldier buried there was younger than me when they were killed.
I’ve never forgotten that cemetery visit.
That experience would certainly drive home this greatest generation made supreme sacrifices for ours and future generations.
Many of them never returned home. Many did with profound and life-altering injuries, not just to their bodies, but their minds.
Those who did built our present prosperity which Hayek’s neo-fascists seemed determined to destroy, having learned nothing.
Those who survived went on to rebuild countries and start families (if they hadn’t already).
Ordinary men did extraordinary things and were not “triggered” by words.
How times have changed.
“The Shores of Normandy” by Jim Radford is a new # 1 song for the occasion of the 75th anniversary of D Day. Here is Jim, singing it.
https://youtu.be/DsVQMfxIfks
Amen.
God bless Canada.
Yes, agreed.
And now some are doing their best to throw away that sacrifice.