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June 6th, 1944 is considered one of the most sacred dates in world history.
Early on that Tuesday morning, Over 13,000 aircraft and 5,000 ships carried 156,000 fathers, husbands, and brothers into the gates of hell in the largest amphibious invasion in human history. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was tasked to lead the mission, named Operation Overlord, who's objective was to drive the Germans out of Nazi-controlled France and regain control the of the European continent.
Today marks the 75th anniversary of that momentous date. Surviving Veterans, Heads of State, and the rest of a grateful world descended on the same beach that saw so much death and destruction just a few generations ago. However, instead of being greeted by a flurry of bullets bombs, the Veterans were given a hero's welcome.
While no one knows the exact number, Allied casualties on June 6 have been estimated at 10,000 killed, wounded, and missing in action.
In the days following Operation Overlord, the Allies gradually expanded their tenuous foothold. When a failed German counterattack resulted in more than 50,000 German troops being encircled by Allied forces near the town of Falaise, the war began to turn. The Allies broke out of Normandy on August 15, and advanced quickly and liberated Paris on August 25. German forces retreated across the Seine five days later, marking the end of Operation Overlord, which history would remember by a different name: D-Day.
While there is no speech, gift, or title can truly honor these men who put their lives on the line when the world was in the balance, it will not stop a grateful country from trying.
Our debt of gratitude to those souls that saved the world on that hazy morning in in southwest France cannot be repaid.
Thank you.
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