Operation Overlord – Omaha Beach D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944

To Our Heroes – We Salute You.
I have had the honor of meeting some of these men. I met two of them several years ago at a Memorial Day celebration and we spent the afternoon talking. One of them flew as a pilot with the Flying Tigers over Burma and knew Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. The other fought at both Tarawa and Iwo Jima. At the end of the afternoon, as we all stood preparing to leave I looked both men in the eyes as I shook their hands and expressed my gratitude. I could see that both men were overwhelmed with emotion. I will never forget that day.
These men are quiet, reserved, humble, soft-spoken and respectful. They do not boast. In fact, many of them are hesitant to speak of their memories of these times with strangers. They will defer from any type of flattery and tell you that they were simply carrying out their duty.
These men displayed a level of courage, bravery, honor and valor that most of the rest of us cannot even fathom.
These men’s actions profoundly changed the course of history forever, and the lives of nearly every human being on this planet from that time forward.
Every aspect of the life you enjoy today is a direct result of the sacrifices made by these brave men.

I salute you, gentlemen…and I sincerely thank you for what you’ve done from the very bottom of my heart.
We owe you a debt that we will never have the ability to repay.

Lt Haley, Co H, 16th Inf. From Jordan Edelstein.

“ You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world. ”

—Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Letter to U.S. Army, D-DAY 6 JUNE 1944