Remember D-Day June 6th 1944 - Political Forum

FRYandBENDER · 06-06-2007, 11:02 AM

Quote:

My Fellow Americans:

Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.

And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen.

Franklin D. Roosevelt - June 6, 1944

Today is D-Day. Thank you veterans.

africanhope · 06-06-2007, 01:27 PM

My grand father was there, with the Brits. The sotry he used to tell of that day.

Thank you to all Veterens of all nations who worked together for victory

AH

Voland · 06-08-2007, 06:53 AM

One of my granduncles was there, on the german side. He was part of a reenforcement unit which the Germans tried to bring to the coastline as fast as possible. But the Allies had already landed, they were cut off from other Wehrmacht units and finally he was taken a prisoner by british soldiers that day or the next, I don´t know for sure. But the war was over for him and so he survived.
He was shipped to the US later to work on farms somewhere in the midwest together with other german prisoners until i think 1948.

FRYandBENDER · 06-08-2007, 10:14 AM

We have an old German POW camp in my home town. It is an antique mall now.

Voland · 06-08-2007, 07:21 PM

I´d have to check out, where exactly he was, but I don´t think it was Alabama. And you said, the camp was turned into a shopping mall ? How would i have to imagine that ?

Seer · 06-08-2007, 07:42 PM

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Originally Posted by Voland

One of my granduncles was there, on the german side.

My Grandfather doesn’t talk about his history very much but from what I gathered, he was a part of the German military during WWII but went AWOL because he was about to marry a Jew. Because it was hard to move to America at the time, he moved to Canada. Eventually, they moved to Oregon… I think. I wish I knew more. I know he was in at least one battle though because he has a peace of shrapnel or something like that from a bomb in his thumb that prevents him from bending one of the joints. (that’s what my mother told me…)

FRYandBENDER · 06-08-2007, 08:58 PM

That is one thing that really gets me about WWII. There were so many Germans that didn't want to fight for the Nazi's. The story of your grandfather, Seer, is like something you would see in a movie, you know, the whole Montegues and Capulets thing. My grandfather was in WWII also, but he died when my dad was around 11 yrs old, so I've never met him. I know times were bad back then, but there was something romantic about it. You couldn't really write a better drama than what our grandfathers had to go through back then.

While I'm on the thought, ..... kids today don't know how good they have it. It is really sad.

Seer · 06-08-2007, 09:06 PM

Hummm… yes. True… F&B, true… Just think about all the movies that came out as a result of that period in time too… They tend to be fairly badass.

Voland · 06-09-2007, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seer

My Grandfather doesn’t talk about his history very much but from what I gathered, he was a part of the German military during WWII but went AWOL because he was about to marry a Jew. Because it was hard to move to America at the time, he moved to Canada. Eventually, they moved to Oregon… I think. I wish I knew more. I know he was in at least one battle though because he has a peace of shrapnel or something like that from a bomb in his thumb that prevents him from bending one of the joints. (that’s what my mother told me…)

Interesting. Do you know more about his story ?
It was actually legally impossible for an "Aryan" to marry a Jew in Nazi Germany from 1935 onwards (the "Nürnberg race laws" were passed that year).
But the Nazis respected marriages made before that year and so many husbands and wifes of an "aryan partner" survived.
How did he make it ?

Seer · 06-09-2007, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Voland

Interesting. Do you know more about his story ?
It was actually legally impossible for an "Aryan" to marry a Jew in Nazi Germany from 1935 onwards (the "Nürnberg race laws" were passed that year).
But the Nazis respected marriages made before that year and so many husbands and wifes of an "aryan partner" survived.
How did he make it ?

That’s a good question and I really wish I knew more. I won’t know until I visit my parents over the summer.