The 6th of June

On this day, seventy years ago, the largest sea-based invasion in the history of the world took place as hundreds of thousands of American and other Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin the liberation of Nazi-occupied Europe and the crushing defeat of Nazi Germany.

As the historic Allied landings began, President Franklin Roosevelt took to the airwaves to lead the American people in prayer for strength, courage, and final victory.  The prayer was delivered in a somewhat low key style yet is nevertheless stirring.  In the video above is the actual prayer Roosevelt offered up for American forces, the American people, "sister nations" and, of course, victory.  The prayer is a poignant reminder that, for those fighting WWII, the Allied victory was not a fore gone conclusion.  Thus, divine aid was fervently sought.

Sit down and give a listen to FDR's D-Day prayer, and as you do give thanks to the men who hit those beaches, especially the ones who remain there still, and thank God for His blessing on that herculean effort of good to conquer evil.

June 6, 1944, the day God allowed us to save the world.

D-Day Remembered

I apologize for writing on D-Day a day late. In truth, there's not much I can say about that herculean invasion, launched against monumental odds, which marked the beginning of the end of the "thousand year Reich". Others have written and/or spoken much more eloquently than I ever could on the glory, heroism, and sacrifice of the largest amphibious invasion in the history of the world. Still, I want to offer at least a small remembrance of the day that ensured I would live in a free nation. Just today I happen to find on Yahoo! a few color pictures--apparently first published in Life magazine--of events before, during, and after D-Day. I find these photos to be both fascinating and moving. There are only five* of them and they don't depict any D-Day scenes most of us are familiar with, which is why I like them. So, a day late, I humbly submit these color pictures of D-Day, the day that the Reich's fate was sealed and freedom was secured. As you peruse them I hope you stand in awe of the superhuman courage of the Allied (mostly American) troops and then ask God to help us be worthy of their sacrifice.

D-Day in Color



May, 1944: American Army engineers eating lunch atop a box of ammunition stockpiled for the invasion.



French couple welcoming American troops with wine.



French civilians having a friendly photo op with American troops.



Captured German soldiers.



American Army chaplain giving Last Rites to a wounded soldier. Behind the glory and the heroism, this is what D-Day was really about.


*There were actually six pictures on Yahoo! but the sixth one had no people in it, only a destroyed building, so I chose not to post it.