Monday, June 6

Remembering D-Day

June 6, 1944 is a day that should be remembered by every living U.S. citizen, as well as by British and Canadian citizens. D-Day.

Do you know what the "D" in D-Day stands for? It stands for "day." To say "D-Day" is like saying "T-Time" or "H-Hour." You've probably heard people say "T minus 10 minutes and counting," right? Any specifically scheduled military operation may be so designated.

There's good reason that the June 6, 1944 landing of Allied forces in Normandy came to be known as the D-Day, though. The largest amphibious landing in history, Operation Overlord involved over 160,000 Allied troops supported by more than 13,000 aircraft and 5,000 ships. Does that sound like overkill? It wasn't. Although the Nazis forces by the time of the landing were far less strong than they'd been earlier in the war, Allied casualties on D-Day were still about 10,000 killed, wounded, or missing in action. 

After years of some of the greatest atrocities in the history of the world, D-Day marks the beginning of the end of the horrors of Nazi occupation of Europe.

In 2014, for the 70th anniversary of D-Day, my husband and I took our sons to visit Normandy. As we surveyed the battle sites and saw the many remains of Nazi fortifications, I couldn't help but think that had we lived 70 years ago, my sons might well have been among those storming the beaches on D-Day.

Since then, my oldest son has become an officer in the U.S. Navy, so the thought of such action impacts me even more greatly than ever before.

War is terrible.  But sometimes there is no choice but to undertake any means necessary to battle a great evil.  The fight against the savagery of the Nazi regime was such a time, I think.





As I reflect upon the freedoms that we enjoy, I am grateful beyond measure for the many men and women who sacrificed so greatly 72 years ago.


  1. I would love to visit Normandy one day. I love history and I'd love my kids to see it, too.

  2. What a great post! Thank you for the historical reminder that freedom isn't really free. Many men and women have lost their lives fighting for our freedom and for those of others.


  3. I had never read that message from Eisenhower. Thank you for sharing it. Thank God for those great men who fought in such an important war!

