June 6th, 1944.

[imported_LoKe]

 

[GTaudiophile]

My grandfather today lies on his deathbead in Jacksonville, FL. To this day, his mind is still sharp but his body, namely his heart, are failing him to his death. But I am personally at peace because I know a man couldn't have lived a better, more noble life. He was born during the Great Depression and survived that. He was like fourth in his class to graduate at West Point in 1942. He served in the Second, Korean, and Vietnam wars, earned two Purple Hearts, retired a General, married a woman for 60+ years, had three children who had five wonderful grand children, and will die with plenty of money in the bank, never having gone into debt. Not rich. But enough.

They sure don't make them like they use to, and the world is much worse because it doesn't.

Here's a :beer: for the Greatest Generation!

 

[Dacalo]

I can't imagine what was going through the minds of those brave men just before the landing...

 

[clamum]

My grandpa, passed away now, was in the Battle of the Bulge.

Thanks to all who served and do serve now.

 

[jimbob200521]

RIP, and thank you.

 

[Baked]

Man, those photos are chilling. Time to queue up Saving Private Ryan.

 

[OutHouse]

My uncle was a Sgt and in the second wave at Omaha. he talked about it only once when i was about 15 years old.

 

[JM Aggie08]

my grandpa was in the second wave at normandy. i dont know what would be worse, going in not knowing what to expect, or having to sit and watch your buddies die right before you, knowing you have to follow their footsteps.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Wow i had almost forgotten.

Thank you for all you have done!

-Kevin

(This calls for a couple episodes of Band Of Brothers tonight!)

 

[chambersc]

my grandfather served in the Navy in the USS Mobile. was one of the first ships to go into nagasaki after the big one.....he brought back a japanese flag. i still have it .

 

[Tommouse]

Thank you :heart:

 

[NatePo717]

 

[Vich]

 

[GTaudiophile]

For the next 8 hours and 30 minutes, I will go out on a limb and host an MP3, Katherine Jenkins' rendition of John Williams' Hymn to the Fallen track from Saving Private Ryan.

I never heard this rendition before until I heard an excerpt in an episode of TOP GEAR. I hope it moves you as much as it moves me.

LINK REMOVED

 

[SVT Cobra]

We remember.

 

[Soccerman06]

Its my mommy's birthday today.

 

[SketchMaster]

I once played in a Paintball game that was a reinactement of D-Day, over 3000 Players showed up. ~970 of them where allies due to poor planing, I was in the 82nd airborne.

That was about as close to the real thing I EVER want to get.


I salute the men that had the guts to run out onto that beach and give there lives so we can enjoy what we have today.

 

[JDrake]

my grandfather's good friend's a vet from it, still kickin'

 

[BoomerD]

Hug a Vet!

We owe these men everything. I spent almost 2 yrs in Vietnam, and as bad as that was at times, I can't imagine what those men went thru landing on that beach.

If you have a parent, grandparent who survived, be sure to take time to visit or call them, and thank them for what they did...

 

[Tom]

What's a good way to remember them ?

Never let freedom die.

 

[mezrah]

 

[secretanchitman]

i will never forget today. my apus history teacher whipped out his saving private ryan and we watched a bit of it. very, very powerful movie.

*rose*

 

[MisterJackson]

My Grandfather, now passed God rest his soul, was in the first wave of that invasion and made it through that horrible day. I feel ashamed to say I didn't remeber what today is.

Thanks to all service men and women, past, present, and in the future.

Edit: I emailed those pics to my Dad yesterday and got this email from him this morning. Keep in mind my Grandfather dies when I was 7 so I remember very little about him and had no idea he was so badass :

Not only was he with the first wave ashore at Omaha but survived the Battle
of the Bulge. This was the last strong counteroffensive the Germans
mustered. Remember him talking about taking refuge in a cemetery (I think in
Germany); they had found a potato cellar and uncovered sauerkraut stash
(Germans buried in the ground to ferment). Thinking they were safe from the
German 88's in the mausoleum they started cooking the potatoes and have a
feast. The 88's started hitting the cemetery and now not only did the have
the flying metal from the shells but the grave markers and mausoleums when
hit sent granite, limestone and whatever else that marked the graves flying.
They suffered a lot casualties in a short time. You have to keep in mind
that he thought he might be trying to kill a relative his Grandfather had
left Germany 75 years earlier.

If memory serves correctly he stood with one foot in Belgium, one foot in
Luxemburg and pissed into Germany. Eventually he went through the
Netherlands I believe after they were liberated since he mentioned the women
that had collaborated with the Germans had their heads shaved and a swastika
carved into their forehead.

Thanks for the photos glad someone remembered what this date means.

BTW this is my Dad, in the middle of this pic, a decorated veteran whom I'm very proud of (Force Recon Marine with three purple hearts, a bronze and silver star, and full Army Airborne training to name a few things). Yes, he has no neck, then again, most Jarheads don't

Dad....Semper Fi

 

[Atheus]

Thank you gentlemen, assuming you can hear me.

Originally posted by: SuperSix
Avatar changed to remember the great men who gave their lives for our freedom.

I require a British flag avatar.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Hug a Vet!

We owe these men everything. I spent almost 2 yrs in Vietnam, and as bad as that was at times, I can't imagine what those men went thru landing on that beach.

If you have a parent, grandparent who survived, be sure to take time to visit or call them, and thank them for what they did...

I agree. Whenever I get into any sort of sticky situation I just think about what those guys went through on that beach.