My Way

     I woke up this morning to a History Channel's program about D-Day. I forgot. That surprises me, because it's has always been something that I think about on June 6th each year. So happy D-Day? I don't know that that fits quite the way it does when someone says Happy 4th of July. Although I will say that in my opinion D-Day has to be one of the most important days in American history.

     June 5, 1944 was suppose to be the day when Allied forces, The U.S., Great Britian, and France, were to land on Omaha, Sword and Juno Beaches in France. It was called Operation Overlord. Those beaches were code names for the beaches of Normandy. The Germans were expecting an attack, but thought for sure that if the Americans and British attacked, it would be at Calais as it is the closest point from Great Britain to France. Instead the people who mattered decided that it would be more of a surprise to land further north. As I said, the original plans called for departure from England on June 5th. The sky was overcast and the weather stormy. It was not a good night for flying. If June 6th shared the same weather patterns as the night before, those in charge though it might just be better to go forward rather than wait another night. As it was, the weather proved to be perfect for an assault. Better yet, Adolf Hitler took a sleeping pill the night before the landing, and left orders not to be awakened. Even so thousands of men lost their lives in the invasion. Our other allies, the U.S.S.R. was battling the Germans on the opposite end of Eurasia.

     The man in charge of the assault was our 33rd President, Dwight David Eisenhower, then a five star general. Briefly, Eisenhower graduated from West Point as part of the class of 1915, which was known as 'the Class the Stars Fell On.' Many graduates that year became generals. Eisenhower never participated in a combat position. He served in several training positions, he and friend, George C. Patton, developed many modern tank maneuvers, and he crossed the country in a caravan of military vehicles starting in Washington D.C. That proved to be one of the most important things he did. At the time there were few direct routes and many of the roads were no more than dirt roads. It took weeks to make it to San Francisco from DC. He took classes in planning and strategy, which he later used during World War II. He began the WWII in Texas in a training position. President Roosevelt wanted someone sitting in England, making plans and organizing the war effort. He went to George C. Marshall first. Marshall suggested Eisenhower. The rest, as they say, is history.

     Eisenhower's Presidency has always been referred to, to me, as a boring time, or maybe as a time when we didn't need a strong President. I've recently read about Eisenhower, and I've seen programs on the History Channel about him. My opinion has changed dramatically about the things I learned. During his Presidency, he faced the Cold War, brought the Korean conflict to an end, and still enjoyed a solid, growing economy. Taking from his earlier experience, he saw to forming leglislation that eventually led to our Interstate Highway system. I don't think most of us realize just how new or old it is. I remember my parents talking about going to visit relatives in Wisconsin. The trip now takes us 3-1/2 hours. Way back when, it took my parents a full day to travel about 250 miles.

     Anyway, Happy D-Day. And a great big thank you to the 'Greatest Generation.' Without what happened on this day, and without the commitment of thousands of lives, I doubt we would enjoy the same freedoms as we have during the last 63 years.