Today marks the 68th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, France. Every day, there are fewer and fewer World War II veterans and thus fewer Normandy veterans.
One source tells us that 1465 dead, 3184 wounded, 1928 missing and 26 captured US troops on D Day. In addition 12,000 US Army Air Corps men were killed, injured, or captured in the two months leading up to the landings. During the course of the battle for Normandy, the losses on both sides continued to mount. It was a gruesome, but necessary task to invade the well fortified coast and then fight inland to dislodge the German troops.
With the election season heating up, the economy in bad shape, and lesser stories to occupy their time, it’s likely that the landings, the casualties, and the survivors will get minor attention today. More’s the pity.
Once again, I’ll post this link to First Wave at Omaha Beach from The Atlantic magazine. It’s a terrifically written and accurate account of what happened to two companies of the 29th Infantry Division. The story is both horrific and inspiring at the same time.
It’s most unfortunate that as each year passes, it seems that fewer and fewer people remember or care about what happened on those beaches so many years ago and how it effects us to this day.
Worse yet, the new trend I’m noticing is the idea that we shouldn’t be grateful for their sacrifices because “they were just doing their jobs”.