D DAY

Today is the 70th Anniversary of D-Day.  I've grown up hearing all the stories of that day.  When I visited Gettysburg, I saw a demonstration of the gear and clothes the soldiers wore on that day.  They had to go from their landing crafts into the water carrying about 75 pounds of gear.

We've all heard about the number of men who participated in our invasion of Normandy and the number of those who didn't come back.  To me, they were just a number.  It was very difficult to realize just how many there were.

Last year, I visited Normandy and the American cemetery there.  It was then that I got an appreciation of the difficulties they faced and the fact that many didn't make it.  Here are some of the pictures from that trip.

The guns they faced

 

The cliffs they had to climb

The dangers in the water

 

 

The end for some

Row after row of markers

 

They made it real.  I now understand the numbers and the sacrifice, but the ones that got to me were the markers for the soldier known only to God.

 



 

Today is a day to remember the sacrifices and courage of those who took part in D-Day and to thank them for all that they gave.