Seventy years ago today many of our communities sons, husbands and fathers experienced a day unlike any other day in history. To those men it was The Longest Day. Minutes seemed like hours and everything moved in either slow motion or ultra high speed.
The continent of Europe was under the rule of an evil madman and the iron fist of tyranny. Millions of innocent people were being subjected to horrific conditions and inhumane treatment. Governments were toppled and replaced with Nazi thugs who were willing to do the bidding of their Führer.
Our boys crawled on their bellies braving bombs and bullets as they slowly made their way across 1,000 yards of bloody sand. Once safely across the sand they faced towering cliffs yet to scale. They climbed one after another and as they fell another would take his place. As the day dragged on, inch by inch of sand and cliffs fell into the hands of the Allies. Thousands lost their lives that day and many more would fall as they pushed deep into France and Europe. Most of the soldiers understood the gravity of the situation in Europe and the threat it posed to the rest of the world. To lose ones life in the pursuit of a greater cause is heroic and deserves to be recognized for future generations.
The generation of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers is truly The Greatest Generation and deserve a holiday all their own, for theirs was a great sacrifice that changed the course of history. The world would be a very different place if not for their sacrifice.