June 6-Never forget

By Kenny Mitchell

Publisher

June 6, today, seems like just another ordinary day in Northeast Texas. It will be hot, work will get done, and the everyday lives of most of those who live here today will go on without a blip.

Perhaps there will be a moment for some to think about with a video clip on the evening news. The oldest of us will pause to think about the past, and the history made on this day.

On June 6, 1944, in the wee hours of the night, more than 20,000 Allied troops jumped from airplanes to begin the assault. Bombers began their barrage, and as morning came, thousands upon thousand of soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, France to begin the campaign that would prove to be the turning point of World War II. The individual beaches of Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold and Juno would soon become covered with the bodies of our brave fighting men. The sea would turn red with the blood spilled for our freedoms, and before the day was over more than 4,000 Allied troops were conformed dead. By the end of the next day, there were at least 3,000 civilian casualties locally.

It was the biggest seaborne invasion in history, with thousands of brave lives lost, but it opened the way for close to a million Allied troops to go into battle via the English Channel by the end of June.

It was the day that changed the war, and our way of life, forever.

My grandfather was one of those soldiers. No doubt, most of you know someone who was there too.

It is of the ultimate importance that we never forget, and that we make sure every generation to come does not forget. Tyranny was pushed back on the backs of those brave soldiers. With every man that jumped from an airplane in the pitch black of night, freedom got a little bit closer. Hitler and his cohorts, and the nightmare of the Holocaust, were brought to an end because of the sacrifices of D-Day and the harrowing days that followed.

Today, June 6, 2018, take a moment to remember.