Remember Their Determination, Their Sacrifice

By John A. Scocos

On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France to fight the Nazi regime and defeat the evil forces of fascism and military imperialism. With more than 5,000 ships, 11,000 aircraft, and some 160,000 troops, the D-Day invasion was the largest amphibious assault in history.

We’ve all seen the pictures of troops hunkered down in the boats, then disembarking, weighed down by their packs, and bravely wading to shore under gunfire. The photos of paratroopers flying over the English Channel ready to make the jump of their lives, steeling themselves to drop behind enemy lines. The images of the shelled beaches, sprawling with barbed wire and Czech hedgehogs, as concrete bunkers loom over them from the hills in the distance.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the landing. We will remember their determination, their sacrifice. We will celebrate and pay tribute to the men and women who acted with courage in the face of adversity. They demonstrated skill and ingenuity in the most difficult of circumstances in a war that changed the course of history and brought pride and victory to our great Nation.

These Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Coastguardsmen, and Marines not only defeated powerful military machines bent on global domination, but they also defeated evil ideas: that the masses exist to serve the privileged few and that certain races, ethnic groups, and religions are inferior to others.

And when the forces of evil were defeated, these veterans returned home and built America into an economic superpower and a model for democracy for the entire world. Many received little glory or fame, but these men and women of our Greatest Generation made a contribution to humanity that may never be equaled.

The veterans we remember are soldiers like General Dwight Eisenhower, Walter Ehlers, and countless other men and women who served in this epic war. On the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Landing—an important moment not just in our Nation’s history, but in world history—let us all remember their deeds, appreciate their sacrifices, and take a moment to honor the legacy of these heroes, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice.