Today we celebrate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The invasion of occupied France during World War II. Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen embarked on a Great Crusade to bring an end to the tyranny of the Nazi war machine. By the end of the day, on June 6, 1944, 155,000 allied troops would land on the Normandy coast. It is the largest amphibious military operation in the history of warfare.
It is hard to fathom the horror those brave men faced that morning and throughout the day. Or the immense pressure General Dwight Eisenhower felt making the final decision to proceed with the invasion that had been planned so meticulously.
The heroic actions of that day freed a continent and began the end of a world war that would claim the lives of over an estimated 70 million people. The courage that was displayed that day is something we must never forget. So today, let us honor those who fought for liberty and freedom and as former President Ronald Reagan said in his moving speech, “the boys of Pointe Du Hoc.”
“…let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: “I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.”
“Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value [valor], and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.”
“May God bless them and all our veterans.”
U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., was first elected to Congress in 2012.
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