I am an Army brat and part of my youth was in the 50’s with the 16th Infantry Regiment in Germany and at Ft. Riley. Much later, I had to honor to command a battalion of the 16th Infantry. I came to know many veterans of D-Day over the years who were friends of my parents, veterans still with the 16th, and as visiting veterans when they could still do that sort of thing. Hard fighters by reputation and from my own experience with them in Vietnam. They were also hard drinkers, some of them, but everyone of them were hard soldiers and good men.
Very hard to believe that in 75 short years our country has become what it is today, looking back at these World War II (kids) soldiers and the whiny millennials of today WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED???
I listened to men while growing up who were part of the war in Europe and men who were fighting the Japanese. These men didn’t brag about the fighting, they talked of the leaves and R&R. The relief of being away from the battle. I learned early don’t ask about the hard times. My awe for June 6th 1944 and what happened lay in realizing, the USA was fighting a two front war. Both were bloody, cruel, God awful events. The guys in the Pacific theater were hanging on word about the day. It was a morale boost to be holding the landing areas at Normandy to the folks in the Pacific. What ever could shorten the war was being prayed for by all the allies, world wide. Lest We Forget.