70 years ago this morning, landing craft carrying the first of 160,000 men chugged slowly toward the beaches at Normandy. I'm not going to try and get flowery here. The story of D-Day has been told in a thousand different ways, most of which are far more evocative than I could ever hope to be.
All I'll say is this: Imagine being part of that first wave, sick to your stomach as you push your way through choppy waters, pressing toward the beaches and barricades. Imagine the sheer terror of standing in front of that massive metal door, waiting for it to drop, knowing that when it did the probability was that you'd be cut down in an instant. You knew the odds. If you were part of that first wave, you knew you were very likely going to die - and you had no way of knowing if the mission you were undertaking had any chance of success.
Imagine standing there, knowing all of that ...and doing it anyway.
Honor and distinction.
This week the U.S. Army posted a trio of videos on its YouTube page, and we thought we would share them here.
Also, if you happen to have HBO, the cable channel has decided to mark the day with a marathon of its series "Band of Brothers." If you've never seen it, it's based on the book by Stephen Ambrose, and it's easily one of the greatest cinematic telling of the war in Europe. In 10 hours, it follows the paratroopers of the 101st Airborne Division's Easy Company from D-Day to the end of the war in Europe. If you're not an HBO subscriber, it's also available on DVD and Blu-Ray, and comes with the highest recommendations.
To all of our veterans, WWII and otherwise, you have our eternal gratitude.
