Free Republic

A 99-year-old World War II veteran who became a viral TikTok star while opening up about his wartime experiences has made an emotional return to Normandy in order to honor the thousands of his fellow soldiers who died on D-Day. Jake Larson joined the National Guard when he was only 15 years old - more than 80 years ago - and participated on the June 6, 1944, battle on Normandy beach in France which saw the 'land, air, and sea forces' come together for the 'largest invasion in human history' according to EisenhowerLibrary.gov - also known as D-Day. Now, the...

Given that today is the 78th anniversary of D-Day, I thought it might be nice to start a thread will folks can post personal stories related to the event - maybe something involving a friend or relative.

My college classmate John Floberg recently retired after a distinguished career in neurology. We took Professor Peter Bien’s freshman seminar on Politics and the Novel together during our first term. John is originally from Chicago but we reconnected in the Twin Cities through Power Line 40 years after our studies with Professor Bien. Following in a family tradition, John served as a commissioned Navy officer after our graduation. In 2016 John sent me this Daily Journal article about his father’s service on D-Day and his sister Anne Wilson’s then upcoming visit to the Normandy beaches where John and Anne’s father...

On June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied soldiers clambered aboard heaving landing craft and braved six-foot swells, waves of machine-gun fire, and more than 6 million mines to claim a stretch of sand at a place called Normandy. Their mission was to carve out an Allied foothold on the edge of Nazi-occupied Europe for the army of more than one million that would follow them in the summer of 1944. This army would burst forth from the beachhead, rolling across Europe into the heart of Germany, liberating millions, toppling a genocidal regime, and ending a nightmare along the way. But it...

<p>RANVILLE, France (AP) — More than 20 British World War II veterans gathered Sunday near Pegasus Bridge in northwestern France, one of the first sites liberated by Allied forces from Nazi Germany, for commemorations honoring the nearly 160,000 troops from Britain, the U.S., Canada and other nations who landed in Normandy on June 6, 1944.</p>

~ D-DAY, June 6, 1944 ~ NORMANDY INVASION May 1944 had been chosen at the conference in Washington in May 1943 as the time for the invasion. Difficulties in assembling landing craft forced a postponement until June, but June 5 was fixed as the unalterable date by Eisenhower on May 17. As the day approached and troops began to embark for the crossing, bad weather set in, threatening dangerous landing conditions. After tense debate, Eisenhower and his subordinates decided on a 24-hour delay, requiring the recall of some ships already at sea. Eventually, on the morning of June 5, Eisenhower,...

Personnel and equipment arriving at Normandy by air and sea following the D-Day invasion in 1944.National Archives and Records Administration, 26-G-2517

So this is one of those historic dates that seems to be slipping faster and faster out of sight, receding into a past at such a rate that we who were born afterwards, or long afterwards, can just barely see. But it was such an enormous, monumental enterprise – so longed looked for, so carefully planned and involved so many soldiers, sailors and airmen – of course the memory would linger long afterwards. Think of looking down from the air, at that great metal armada, spilling out from every harbor, every estuary along England’s coast. Think of the sound of...

It was the largest amphibious invasion in history, commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. More than 13,000 aircraft and 5,000 ships supported the operation. Allied casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 10,000 killed, wounded, and missing in action: 6,603 Americans, 2,700 British, and 946 Canadians.

German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel decides to take a few days off from his headquarters at Chateau La-Roche Guyon, Normandy and visit his wife Lucia and son Manfred for her birthday. He feels with the weather as bad as it is, the Allies will not be able to launch an invasion for several weeks.

        FDR'S D-DAY PRAYER JUNE 6TH, 1944 Films such as "Saving Private Ryan", "The Thin Red Line", and "U 571" bring to life the struggles of a whole generation of Americans who fought tyranny in World War II. No movie, however, could adequately capture the sense of dedication and courage which so many ordinary men and women demonstrated in order to bring an end to the horrors that were being committed against innocent people around the world. Sadly, this generation is passing on, as about 1,000 of these heroes are now dying each day due to...

Ever heard of the Italian Army during the Normandy Campaign? Few have, but in this film I examine the untold story of the 40,000 men that history has forgotten!

WWII veteran Tom Rice celebrated his birthday in epic fashion. According to First Coast News, Rice wanted to do something a little extra special to celebrate his 100th birthday and that meant parachuting out of an airplane. Rice, who jumped into Normandy on D-Day with the 101st Airborne, parachuted out of a vintage WWII plane and landed at the Coronado Hotel in San Diego over the weekend for his birthday. The WWII veteran is from San Diego and lived there when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, according to the same report. You can watch the awesome moment unfold below.

It’s not very often you hear this kind of blanket honesty from a journalist about how even the simple image of an American flag triggers them. On Morning Joe Tuesday, frequent guest Mara Gay from the New York Times admitted she was shocked at seeing dozens of “disturbing” American flags over the D-Day anniversary weekend. But what was really disturbing, was Gay likening our country's flag to racist, white nationalism. Gay’s looney comments were spurred on by the panel talking about- what else? The need for a January 6 commission on the Capitol Hill riot.

The White House argued Monday that the historic D-Day mission was important to President Joe Biden, despite his failure to follow the lead of past presidents by publicly acknowledging the anniversary. White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed Biden’s failure to acknowledge the D-Day anniversary during the daily press briefing, after the snub was first highlighted by Breitbart News on Sunday

Joe Biden Neglects D-Day; Tweets About Tulsa Race Massacre President Joe Biden tweeted a video Sunday of his meeting last week with survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre, but did not mention that June 6 was also the anniversary of D-Day, the U.S-led invasion of Normandy in the Second World War. Biden, who appeared to confuse D-Day with Pearl Harbor Day last year on the campaign trail, tweeted: “I met with survivors of the Tulsa Massacre this week to help fill the silence. Because in silence, wounds deepen. And, as painful as it is, only in remembrance do wounds heal.”...

Today your job is straightforward. First, you must load 40 to 50 pounds on your back. Then you need to climb down a net of rope that is banging on the steel side of a ship and jump into a steel rectangle bobbing on the surface of the ocean below you. Others are already inside the steel boat shouting and urging you to hurry up. Once in the boat, you stand with dozens of others as the boat is driven towards distant beaches and cliffs through a hot hailstorm of bullets and explosions. Boats moving nearby are, from time to...

President Joe Biden neglected to commemorate the 77th anniversary of D-Day on Sunday, choosing instead to post a video of himself meeting with survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.

~ D-DAY, June 6, 1944 ~ NORMANDY INVASION May 1944 had been chosen at the conference in Washington in May 1943 as the time for the invasion. Difficulties in assembling landing craft forced a postponement until June, but June 5 was fixed as the unalterable date by Eisenhower on May 17. As the day approached and troops began to embark for the crossing, bad weather set in, threatening dangerous landing conditions. After tense debate, Eisenhower and his subordinates decided on a 24-hour delay, requiring the recall of some ships already at sea. Eventually, on the morning of June 5, Eisenhower,...

In a surprise aggressive move, American and British troops are landing on the beaches in Normandy today. Germany’s Transocean News Service reports that Germans vacationing in the sleepy hamlets of this coastal region were awaked by the ships, planes, guns, and bombs of this sneak attack. A few brave German tourists quickly ran to bunkers and began retuning fire to protect their French brothers and sisters. Germany has already been subject to a horrifying 363 air raids by the Allied air forces in an attempt to terrorize its citizens. British bombers have already dropped over 45,000 tons of bombs while...