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Thread: 75 Years Ago Today

  1. #1

    75 Years Ago Today

    a bunch of very scared, seasick and incredibly brave men from America, Canada, England, and other Allied countries went ashore off the Normandy coast to assault Hitler's Fortress Europe ... we owe them so much.

    We forget, too, that these guys weren't John Wayne; many were kids, although they left their youth behind forever.

    I think it should be a prerequisite to graduate high school, get a drivers license, become a citizen or for anyone just whining to watch the first 15 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan". Can you just imagine the doors dropping on those Higgins boats knowing what you where about to face? Those guys were the greatest generation for a reason.

    Most never talked about it. My Dad graduated high school a few days after D-Day and immediately entered the Navy. His older brother was among those who landed in Normandy that day and survived. We never heard stories about the war until the final couple weeks of his life. He just wouldn't talk about it. Neither would my uncle.

    Many years ago, one of my sons had a school assignment to interview a grandparent. One of the questions was the old standard, what did you dream about doing after high school? My Dad's reply shocked us. He said he had no dreams. He went on to explain that he knew he would be going to war, that he did not expect to come home, and that most of the boys in his high school had the same expectation. Just think about going through your teenage years with that in the back of your mind.

    Most are gone now; even the youngest are now in their early 90s, but the sacrifice they made must never be forgotten
    Last edited by illinoisredsox; 06-06-2019 at 12:38 AM.
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  2. #2
    King of TalkSox a700hitter's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by illinoisredsox View Post
    a bunch of very scared, seasick and incredibly brave men from America, Canada, England, and other Allied countries went ashore off the Normandy coast to assault Hitler's Fortress Europe ... we owe them so much.

    We forget, too, that these guys weren't John Wayne; many were kids, although they left their youth behind forever.

    I think it should be a prerequisite to graduate high school, get a drivers license, become a citizen or for anyone just whining to watch the first 15 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan". Can you just imagine the doors dropping on those Higgins boats knowing what you where about to face? Those guys were the greatest generation for a reason.

    Most never talked about it. My Dad graduated high school a few days after D-Day and immediately entered the Navy. His older brother was among those who landed in Normandy that day and survived. We never heard stories about the war until the final couple weeks of his life. He just wouldn't talk about it. Neither would my uncle.

    Many years ago, one of my sons had a school assignment to interview a grandparent. One of the questions was the old standard, what did you dream about doing after high school? My Dad's reply shocked us. He said he had no dreams. He went on to explain that he knew he would be going to war, that he did not expect to come home, and that most of the boys in his high school had the same expectation. Just think about going through your teenage years with that in the back of your mind.

    Most are gone now; even the youngest are now in their early 90s, but the sacrifice they made must never be forgotten
    My Dad and 5 Uncles served during WWII— 3 in Europe and 2 in the Pacific theater. One of them landed at Normandy. He was a medic. He never spoke about it. If you saw Private Ryan, Tom Hanks’ character had a hand tremor. My Uncle who landed at Normandy had the same hand tremor. Until I saw the movie, I never attributed that tremor to the war. What they did was incredible. These were boys and they saved a World that was engulfed in murder and hate. When I hear people putting down the US, I take it very personally, because these millions of American boys saved the world and when they came home they never talked about it or expected thanks or parades. The WW II Memorial in D.C. was not opened until 2004 — almost 60 years after the war ended and after the Vietnam and Korean Memorials. The whole world owes them a debt of gratitude.
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  3. #3
    Deity Slasher9's Avatar
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    great thread IL. these kids 75 years ago that jumped out of the planes or stormed the beaches were heroes. each and every one.
    my son and I will be watching the first 40 minutes of Saving Private Ryan again tonight as is our tradition on 06-Jun.
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    Quote Originally Posted by a700hitter View Post
    My Dad and 5 Uncles served during WWII— 3 in Europe and 2 in the Pacific theater. One of them landed at Normandy. He was a medic. He never spoke about it. If you saw Private Ryan, Tom Hanks’ character had a hand tremor. My Uncle who landed at Normandy had the same hand tremor. Until I saw the movie, I never attributed that tremor to the war. What they did was incredible. These were boys and they saved a World that was engulfed in murder and hate. When I hear people putting down the US, I take it very personally, because these millions of American boys saved the world and when they came home they never talked about it or expected thanks or parades. The WW II Memorial in D.C. was not opened until 2004 — almost 60 years after the war ended and after the Vietnam and Korean Memorials. The whole world owes them a debt of gratitude.

    My dad was in the Pacific theater. Never talked about it, despite my repeated asking as a kid. I only found out what ship he was on when a former shipmate called my house looking for him.

    I watched the Ken Burns documentary on WW II and it was how I learned no vets from that war talked about it. It was actually relieving to hear...

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