June 6, 1944

B

Bill Sanders

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Aug 18, 2003
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June 6, 1944
Operation Overlord.
D-Day. The Allied invasion of France.
The beaches of Normandy: Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword, and Juno.
A day that many, many brave soldiers, American, Canadian, and British, gave their all for their respective country.
About 2355 brave men lost their lives on that day.
12 Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded for actions of soldiers during that invasion. 9 of which were posthumous awards.
All gave some, some gave all.

My flag at home will be flying at half staff in their memory and in their honor today.
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My father, Capt. Adjutant Royal Engineers, mentioned in dispatches, Arromanches 6.VI.1944 and Mulberry Harbour

Remembering him and all his comrades in the British Army and their glorious allies in the US, Commonwealth, Canadian, Free French and Russian&Soviet Armies in our common struggle against the poison of Nazism, never forgotten 'UBIQUE'
 
Mom was working at Oak Ridge.
One of Mom's brothers jumped in with the 82nd.
Dad was fighting in the mountains of Italy.
Uplander
 
Dad's second cousin was on the Battleship Arizona on THE DAY -he was lucky and survived.
I also wish to thank all the American soldiers who so kind to my Dad's family during WW2 as they passed through Samoa on their way to do their duty in the Pacific.
My Wife's Mother was born in a bomb shelter during a Nazi bombing raid.
We owe so much to these old soldiers,sailors and airman.
" At the setting of the sun we will remember them..."
 
My Dad was working up his B-29 Crew at Walker Field, NM.
He had served from 1942 til then as an instructor pilot in AT-6's and B-17's.

One of the scariest people I ever knew as a child was an Episcopal priest in Tucson, whom had lost his leg in the Jump on St Mere Eglise.
He had a way of looking at us kids that sent ice water through our veins.

DaddyDett
 
"Over sixty years later, the Normandy invasion still remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy."

Battle of Normandy

Good time to take a look back again, I still can't wrap my mind around the scale of the operation.
 
My Grandfather was on the beach that fateful day...he was a medic...He never spoke of that day ever. But once when he looked at a yellow life jacket in a hardware store I remember my Grand father bursting into tears. As a small boy I was frightened that Grandpa was crying...he told me later that he had been in a war and there were many boys floating in the water wearing that style of life jacket.

the other time also was emotional. I was much older but he was sharing with me how life can be tough. He told me of the day he was laying on the beach. Everyone in his duck was pinned down. The 8 other ducks in his stick were either sunk, dead in the water, lost. or everyone on board KIA...as he was laying on the beach with the 88s raining down and the MG-42 raking the beach he looked over and in this small bush was a sparrow just sitting there singing away..my grandfathers thought was...I am going insane..here we are killing eachother and this bird is oblivious of what is going on...

Captian Robert Hall MD...280th quartemaster battalion special detatchment medic. I miss you Grandpa..

here are some of his pictures taken June 7

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destroyedgermanfortifications.jpg


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Thanks for sharing the story and the pics, Ren.
My father was there. All he ever told me was that the Germans were all 10 feet tall and they were all shooting at him.

--Mike L.
 
Ren, thanks for sharing that. Your grandfather was a hero.

I didn't have family at Normandy, but my grandad and his brothers fought in other spots. My uncle Ray was in N. Africa, Sicily, and Italy finally getting shrapnel in his back at Anzio. Grandad, Murray, and LC were in the Pacific. Murray was field comissioned. RIP gentlemen. I'm thinking of you.
 
Mike L. said:
Thanks for sharing the story and the pics, Ren.
My father was there. All he ever told me was that the Germans were all 10 feet tall and they were all shooting at him.

--Mike L.
Click to expand...

Your father was right.

May they rest in peace, brave soldiers all.
 
This day in 1944 my mother was serving in the air ministry in Whitehall. Her job was typing out the minutes from the War Cabinet meetings.
She is 85 now and occupies her time gardening and caring for her Sheltie.
 
Thank you for all the veterans who served that day and thanks for all veterans, past, present and future.

Jeff:)
 
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