Today commemorates the 80^th anniversary of D-Day, the biggest seaborne invasion in history and likely the most complex military operation of all time. Somehow, a massive invasion involving over 300,000 troops was kept secret until the moment it began on the beaches of Normandy. (Leakers were not considered heroes back then.)

Of the Allied troops who stormed the beaches or parachuted behind enemy lines, thousands were killed or injured by relentless gunfire from the entrenched German snipers’ positions. But the rest fought on and eventually prevailed, gaining a foothold in France and marking the turning of the tide of World War II in Europe.

Here's a good primer on how the D-Day invasion was planned and carried out, and the aftermath.

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/remembering-d-day-what-happened-during-wwii-normandy-invasion

President Biden is in Normandy for today’s commemoration ceremony of D-Day, to honor both the young soldiers who gave their lives to liberate Europe and the now-elderly surviving heroes who were able to return to honor their fallen comrades. This is a link that will stream the event, which had not yet started at our press time.

https://www.foxnews.com/video/5614615980001

This is a slideshow of some amazing historic photos from D-Day…

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/pictures-look-back-d-day

And a couple of views of D-Day from a more personal level. From Jen Van Laar at Redstate.com, the story of her grandparents’ romance in the shadow of D-Day, told through her grandfather’s letters home to his fiancée, who was building war planes like Rosie the Riveter…

https://redstate.com/jenvanlaar/2024/06/06/a-d-day-letter-from-a-gi-to-his-bride-highlights-the-resilience-of-the-greatest-generation-n2175097

And from the great YouTube series, “Tasting History,” here’s the story of what the troops ate just before the invasion, and a recreation of what for many was their last breakfast. There are also some great comments under this video…

https://youtu.be/WC1qYfsnWhY?si=mAG3xhrJnkO8Un0-

Sadly, many young Americans don’t know about the incredible heroism of the troops who landed on D-Day and what they did to end the threat of Nazism because they’re not being taught accurate American history. It’s hard to push a narrative that America is an evil, selfish nation founded on racism, genocide and privilege when you have to tell students how many Americans sacrificed their lives and limbs to save people they’d never even met on the other side of the world. 

The  80th anniversary of D-Day is a reminder of what true courage really is. It’s doing the right thing, even when it requires charging head-on into the face of death. D-Day veterans often shun the title of “hero,” but nobody is more deserving of it. And nobody is more deserving of being remembered and honored long after their lives are over, and long after all of our lives are over. 

To learn more about D-Day, and even more importantly, to help teach your children about it, here’s a link to the website of the National D-Day Memorial. 

https://www.dday.org/