On this date in 1944, Operation Overlord was put into effect as thousands of Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy in an effort to defeat the Nazi war machine that had tortured and killed people and devastated the countryside. This was no small feat and it required the work and sacrifice of many brave men and women.
My dad was among the brave. He did not go onto those beaches in Normandy. Instead, he had quietly and diligently worked alongside many others to prepare the landing craft and other materials of war from his base in Weymouth, England. He was a machinist in the U.S. Navy. He told me once that they worked around the clock in the weeks leading up to D-Day--not shifts, though. They simply worked until they could go no further and then they found an empty 'rack' and slept for a while. And went right back to work.
I can only imagine that those people, including my dad, who had worked in the background to prepare watched those vessels leave that port with mixed emotions. Certainly, they were proud of the work they had done. But they must have had a sick feeling in the pits of their stomachs knowing that many of those men wouldn't return. They must have felt uncertain as to the ultimate outcome of the attempt to meet and defeat Hitler's troops on French soil. But I think their overriding emotion must have been patriotism. They loved their country and they served it proudly.
Three years ago tomorrow, my dad passed away. Many other WWII veterans have also passed from this life. But to each of them, and especially my dad I say THANKS!! Our country is strong because of "The Greatest Generation".
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