Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force!

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security to yourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have in­flicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tidehas turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Al­mighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

And with those words, one of the largest amphibious assaults ever conducted began. Hitler himself said, “In the East, the vastness of space will… permit a loss of territory… without suffering a mortal blow to Germany’s chance for survival. Not so in the West! If the enemy here succeeds… consequences of staggering proportions will follow within a short time.” For the Americans, this offensive resulted in approximately 46,000 dead, 173,000 wounded and missing.

One of my friends great uncle was on Omaha Beach 64 years ago today. He said he fired his gun basically for three days straight. His face was burned from the heat of his gun and eventually his gun melted together and became unfireable.

The numbers of this assault are staggering but the sacrifice was even more daunting. For a generation of young men and boys, many of whom were not old enough to buy a beer, there lives would never be the same. Operation Overload would and does haunt their memories and their dreams. Let us not forget the sacrifice that was made by an entire generation.

“I treasure my remark to my grandson who asked, ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, ‘No… but I served in a company of heroes’.” Lt. Richard D. Winters commander of Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division