D-Day Anniversary

So here's the short of it,
The anniversary of D-Day is coming to an end. 

And here's the long.

By the end of D-Day, some 23,000 troops and 1,700 vehicles had safely landed at UTAH Beach and of the men that came ashore there were only about 200 recorded casualties. This picture is an arial view of the supplies streaming ashore after the beaches had been secured! 


Gene Howard and the other men of the transportation units unloaded troops, tanks, trucks, jeeps, gas, ammunition, food, and all the other supplies necessary to support the invasion and successful defeat of the German Army at Normandy and into and across France. 


Only in his later years did we learn about the close calls -The bombs falling all around the ships they were unloading - and actually landing and sinking two that were right next to them. Becoming lost in the fog and drifting dangerously close to the German controlled territory. Or the plane that strafed the beach just after they had gone ashore, missing the soldiers by only inches. Or the late night call to help the graves registration detail clean up the beach from those who had given their lives that day on that bloody beach. 


I think of Dad in one way or another every single day - often many times. But on June 6th, I will always think of that young man - just a kid really, along with lots of other kids - who really and truly saved the world. 


There's one other picture like this one - an arial view of the beach head operation at Utah Beach.  I always like to think that even though I can't see him, Dad is somewhere in those pictures. 


Here are a couple of links for those who might be interested in the Utah Beach operaton!


Utah Beach Battlefield Tour


The Battle of Normandy - Utah Beach