The Longest Day is Hardly Remembered!

By Rich Kozlovich 

I've waited until now to publish this because I wanted to give sites the chance to deal with D-Day, which no matter what anyone tries to say, it really was the day that ended Hitler's rule over Europe. Stalin had been browbeating the allies to attack, and quite frankly he didn't' care how well prepared they were, nor how many men were killed, he just wanted the pressure on him to be eased in order to confiscate as much of Europe as he could.  There was even talk of Stalin coming to a peace agreement with Hitler if they didn't attack soon enough to please Stalin.

Of the many sites I visit daily or weekly, which can be as many as 30,  here's what appeared, and in order to affirm my view this was the most pivotal invasion of the war in Europe, let's start with this.

1. Essential D-Day Facts: What You Need to Know About the Normandy Invasion-  By RVM News  Via Liberty Daily -  1. The Largest Amphibious Invasion in History -The D-Day invasion, codenamed Operation Overlord, was the largest amphibious assault ever executed. On June 6, 1944, over 156,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. 2. Five Beachheads with Codenames - The Normandy landings were spread across five beachheads, each with a unique codename: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword. American forces landed on Utah and Omaha, while British and Canadian forces landed on Gold, Juno, and Sword. 3. Deceptive Tactics...........4. The Role of Airborne Divisions...........5. The Sacrifice at Omaha Beach..............6. Operation Neptune..............7. Mulberry Harbors..............8. The Atlantic Wall...........9. Allied Air Superiority...........10. The Turning Point in Europe - D-Day marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. The successful landings and subsequent breakout from Normandy led to the liberation of Paris and eventually the defeat of Germany in May 1945. It was a pivotal moment in World War II, reshaping the course of history........

American Thinker, which is my favorite site, beat all the rest with seven, and matched them in combination.  (Editor's Note:  See Updates, there are now a total of eleven other commentaries.  RK) WWII has always been emotional for me, and, I found much in some of these commentaries to be quite emotional.  I was a bit surprised how many conservative sites listed nothing.  It appears to me even conservatives fail to read history, and fail to appreciate just how important it is.

1. D-Day and America in 2024 - By Steve McCann - On this day eighty-years ago, in the largest combined naval, air, and land operation in history, 154,000 Allied troops, including 71,000 American soldiers, landed on the beaches and in the marshlands of Normandy.  Within the first twenty-four hours, American forces suffered 3,393 killed or missing and 6,603 wounded.............After spending an hour or so on the beach, I walked up a path leading to the Normandy American Cemetery on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach.  On my arrival, my breath was taken away by the sight of seemingly endless rows of 9,388 crosses and Stars of David. As I walked along the paths and rows of white marble monuments, I could not help but notice that the surnames memorialized on the crosses and Stars of David reflected the melting-pot uniqueness of the United States.  As I continued my walk, I soon found myself talking to the young men interred there...........
2. Remembering D-Day’s Freedom Fighters  - By J.B. Shurk - It is hard to believe that eighty years have passed since American, British, and Canadian troops landed at Normandy and fought their way across fortified beaches covered in German mines and barbed wire fences.  What a nightmare it must have been to overcome such soggy, uneven terrain while enduring heavy fire from gun emplacements secured upon hills and steep cliffs.  It must have felt like being dropped off in Hell and navigating through a gruesome Jell-O of blood, sand, smoke, explosions, and whirring bullets.  There were no timeouts.  There were no “safe spaces.”  There was nowhere to hide.  You either advanced or died.  Could Allied Forces accomplish such audacious feats today?  It is hard to imagine the “Me-Me-Me Generations” putting their lives on the line for much of anything.  Could you convince a socialist who believes that everything should be free that freedom is never free?  Could you explain to a Millennial that storming a beach is not done for Instagram snapshots, social media approval, or Facebook likes?  Could you persuade all those Westerners who hate Western civilization to pick up a rifle and fight for the West’s survival?  I’m not so sure...............
3. The Boys of Pointe du Hoc - By Sloan Oliver - June 6th is the 80th anniversary of Operation Overlord, also known as D-Day.  It was the largest amphibious invasion in history.  At dawn’s first light, American, British, Canadian, and other Allied forces stormed five separate beaches (Juno, Gold, Sword, Omaha, and Utah) and gained a tenuous foothold on Fortress Europe.  D-Day was the beginning of the end for Hitler’s Nazis.  Countless books have been written describing all aspects of the battle.  So my words add nothing.  Additionally, I don’t have an adequate vocabulary or enough superlatives to fully describe the action, or express the drama and emotions of that day.  However, I want to discuss one part of the battle that is often overlooked.  That would be the battle to capture the German artillery at Pointe du Hoc.......... By 9:45, all the guns were destroyed.  While the success of the amphibious landings was still in doubt, at least the odds were improved knowing those dangerous 155mm howitzers were no longer a threat.  Over the next days, the Rangers defeated numerous German counterattacks trying to recapture the cliffs.  The Rangers held fast but paid a heavy price.  When they were relieved, two days later, only 90 of the original 225 Rangers were still standing; the remainder were drowned, killed, or injured............... 
4.  80 years ago: June 6, 1944 - By Ethel C. Fenig - Freedom is not free.  Remember this seemingly trite — but so painfully true — saying today while you enjoy the beginning of summer by taking at least a moment to acknowledge the sacrifices that have enabled our freedoms and made our nation a powerful international magnet for those seeking it. Today is D-Day, when, on this date 80 years ago, as our nation was immersed overseas in the deadly World War ll, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (D) addressed the nation, asking for prayers and strength for the forthcoming battles.............Watch the livestream of this historic event here. 
5. D-Day…past and future June 6, 2024  - By Eric Utter - On this hallowed date in 1944, 160,000 young British, Canadian, and American troops came ashore in Normandy to attempt the nearly impossible. Their mission was to secure the beaches, scale the cliffs, penetrate the Atlantic Wall, evict the Germans from their observation posts, gun batteries, and bunker networks…and, eventually, liberate the European continent from the throes of tyrannical fascism. Eleven months later, they had done just that. Many—if not most—of us in the Land of the (formerly) Free now recognize another “D-Day” is needed. The events of this second D-Day will be centered around November 5, 2024. Success on this new D-Day will come not by guns and grenades, but by ballots and vigilance. Can we do the seemingly improbable? Can we save ourselves—and give hope to the world once more? Can we liberate ourselves from the throes of a growing tyrannical Marxism?.........
6. D-Day’s James Earl Rudder, a hero for the ages - By Bucky Fox - We all know Gen. Dwight Eisenhower’s command performance on D-Day. With his firm grip on the tiller of strategy and secrecy, the Allies stormed France on June 6, 1944, on the way to victory over the Nazis 11 months later. What many of us don’t know is a mighty hero in Ike’s ranks. His name was James Earl Rudder, an Army lieutenant colonel whose scaling of the Pointe du Hoc cliffs helped turn the tide of the biggest amphibious invasion in history. Omar Bradley, Ike’s top general at Normandy, knew exactly Rudder’s crucial role, writing: “No soldier in my command has ever been wished a more difficult task than that which befell the 34-year-old commander of the Provisional Ranger Force.”..........
7. Normandy continues on America’s shores -  Carole Hornsby Haynes - On June 6, 1944, a coalition of more than 150,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France by sea and air to begin the fight to liberate Europe from the yoke of Nazi tyranny.  Thousands were killed or wounded during the D-Day invasion.  Now the battle for liberty is being waged within our own nation.  Although the Allied troops defeated the Nazis, the latter’s evil ideology survived, retreating quietly to rebrand as “liberalism” and embed within America’s Democrat party, as had other “isms” since the Progressive movement took off in the early 20th century.............

Breitbart had two, one was actually more about Biden than D-Day, while the second honored the men: 

1. Biden Uses D-Day 80th Anniversary Speech to Attack Putin, Defend Democracy - President Joe Biden used his speech at commemorations of the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, to attack Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “tyrant,” and to urge the world to “save democracy in our time.”.........
2. Papers Please! British Paratroopers Met by French Border Officials at D-Day Reenactment - British paratroopers who led an historic reenactment to mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day were met by French border officials immediately after they touched down Wednesday in a Normandy field. The visitors reportedly were directed to quickly fold their parachutes and form an orderly queue. They then offered the requested documents and outlined the purpose of their visit to French passport control officials as directed, Reuters reports.............

Update:  Brietbart  now has three more: 

1. D-Day: Photo Remembrance - On Tuesday, June 6, 1944, over 160,000 brave men crossed the choppy waters of the English Channel to land in enemy-occupied France for the long-awaited Allied liberation of “Fortress Europe.”
2.   Could this Generation Accomplish D-Day’s Toughest Mission? - On June 6, 1984, the 40th anniversary of D-Day, President Ronald Reagan and a crowd of veterans, now senior citizens, watched sixty-something-year old Ranger veteran Herman Stein, along with a dozen Green Berets decades younger, re-enact the most difficult mission of D-Day: scaling the 90-foot cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, France to take out the German machine guns targeted on the beach. Climbing hand-over-hand, the sexagenarian easily reached the top ahead of the younger men. “All these younger guys will be all right if they just stick with it. They hug the cliff too much,” he joked.
3.  Pinkerton: the Message of the Dead to the Living - In history, as in life, we often don’t appreciate things till after they’re gone. When it was around, we took it for granted — maybe even made fun of it — and so we are caught at a loss when it goes away.   This was the story, for example, of the American West.  In the 19th century, when the West was actually being won, it was not a subject of popular fascination.  There were, after all, other things going on in the U.S.— such as the Civil War.  ......
   

Epoch Times had two, both of which were about Biden:

1.  In Normandy, Biden to Mark 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Meet Zelensky - President Joe Biden arrived in France on June 5, kicking off a five-day trip to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy and participate in a state visit hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The president is also expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “While he’s in Normandy, he’ll have the opportunity to sit down with President Zelenskyy and have an engagement with him to talk about the state of play in Ukraine and how we can continue and deepen our support for Ukraine,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One en route to France..............
2. Biden Marks 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Honors World War II Veterans -  President Joe Biden delivered remarks on June 6, commemorating the 80th anniversary of D-Day landings at Normandy American Cemetery. “History tells us freedom is not free. If you want to know the price of freedom, come here to Normandy,” President Biden said during a three-hour ceremony honoring those killed in the Normandy invasion as well as living veterans. “Democracy is never guaranteed. Every generation must preserve it, defend it, and fight for it. That’s the test of the ages,” President Biden said. “In memory of those who fought here, died here, and literally saved the world here, let us be worthy of their sacrifice.”.........

Power Line had one:

1. Ordeal of Omaha Beach June 6, 2024 — Scott Johnson - Reader Patti Kruse wrote us a few years ago asking us to persist in our annual remembrance of the D-Day landings on the Normandy beaches. “My dad landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day,” she told us. “He was one of the fortunate ones, as he was never physically injured and managed to survive from D-Day all the way through the Battle of the Bulge and V-E Day. He rarely spoke .........

Update: Canada Free Press has one, and it's a good one.

1. WWII War Vets in Normandy for D-Day: None of Us Would Be Here Without Them - By Judi McLeod - In the midst of this upside down era where children are routinely taught to hate America at school, some 66 World War II vets—the last of the Greatest Generation—have made it to Normandy, France to honor the 80th Anniversary of D-Day.  None of us would even be here had it not been for the heroic courage and sacrifice of these outstanding vets.  It should be remembered—forever more—that it was America, more than any other country that saved the World during World War II.........

Responding to Ethel C. Feni's concerns in 80 years ago: June 6, 1944: 

 

Success on this new D-Day will come not by guns and grenades, but by ballots and vigilance. Can we do the seemingly improbable? Can we save ourselves—and give hope to the world once more? Can we liberate ourselves from the throes of a growing tyrannical Marxism?......... 

 

I've often thought about this, and asked people do they think if these young men, with bright futures and their whole lives ahead of them, knew they were saving the nation to be contaminated by leftists, and the policies these leftist misfits have imposed destroying the culture they died to save, would they have gone anyway?  

After going back and forth for many years I've concluded they would have.  Culture is king, and their culture was one of belief in the values of truth, justice, and the American way, and they believed Americans could over come anything.  

 

We can only hope, but I worry as so many are trying to make this about Isolationism, it isn't.    Isolationists didn't cause WWII.  Woodrow Wilson caused WWII by injecting America in that meat grinder WWI.  A meat grinder we had no business in.  Any effort to compare any of this with another European mess they're trying to drag us into, the Russo/Ukraine War, is a failure in history, facts, and logic.   America has spent trillions of dollars, and thousand of gallons of American blood supporting Europe, and after all that, Europe is still a mess. and an ungrateful and disrespectful one at that.  

 

Not only has D-Day hardly been remembered, it's being remembered, and propagandized, for the wrong reasons.    These European powers are now and have always been selfish, self-serving, backstabbers, and it 's time they saved themselves, or not, and it's time we took our marbles and went home.