June 6, 1944 was a day when more than 300,000 Allied troops made a surprise landing in France, covering 50 miles of Normandy coast. It was a battle that lasted throughout the month of June, and marked the turning point in the war in Europe.
This week on Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson will air two programs recounting his own recent trip to those beaches at Normandy in honor of those who died defending freedom.
I'm proud of my own brother-in-law who served in World War II as a B-24 bombadier. He was captured in 1943 when his plane was shot down in Germany, and spent the rest of the war as a POW in a German Stalag.
As the assault on Normandy became imminent, General Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a message to the soldiers, sailors and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force. He said in part:
"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.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely."
On July 4, Brad Mattes, dad to a son who served courageously in Iraq for these same freedoms, will present a Life Issues® radio special: "A Lifetime Sacrifice-The Cost of Freedom." I've heard it and it will stir your heart to hear these moms and dads, wives, husbands and sons who are paying the sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy.
General Eisenhower concluded his D-Day message to the troops saying, "I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory."
Evelyn Gibson
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