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| Messages 1 - 8 of total 8 in this topic |
Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 6, 2007 - 04:16pm PT
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I'm surprised nobody else has pointed this out but a seventeen year old on Omaha beach 63 years ago who managed to survive to this day, and that is few indeed, is now 80.
When you listen to people bitch and moan about all their petty problems it seems pretty lame considering the sacrifices that were made on this day.
Take time this evening to watch the D-Day scene in Saving Private Ryan which, despite the annoying stutter-camera effect, is a horrifyingly realistic depiction of the insane chaos and destruction and inhumanity that in many cases was the first taste of battle for so many young Americans (and I'm not forgetting about our allies on Juno, Sword and Gold).
To the veterans of D-Day surviving or not I say HATS OFF!
Or would you have preferred to say it in german?
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2007 - 06:38pm PT
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Well we're a couple days late to recognize Midway and, not to underestimate the sacrifices made (how about the 15 torpedo bomber crews of which Ensign George Gay was the only survivor), we had about 30 times as many casualties on D-Day and the end of the day saw the issues far more in doubt than at Midway where in a few minutes the entire war in the Pacific turned in our favor and Yamamoto, still 500km away, simply turned his fleet around.
Sorry Abe. No offense. Midway was a fascinating battle, certainly one of the ten most important naval engagements of all time, but on this day 63 years ago over 100,000 american men set off on an expedition with their hearts in their stomachs wondering if they would see the day's end.
Talk about sacking up!
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AbeFrohman
Trad climber
new york, NY
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fair enough, but the battle lasted june 4-7.
and we'd be speaking japanese instead of german.
The sacrifices of D-day must not be forgotten.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2007 - 06:55pm PT
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It was definitively decided on the morning of 6/4/42.
The germans came far closer to winning the war than the japanese ever did. In fact, if it wasn't for the six-hundred-odd pilots who defeated the Luftwaffe over the skies of Britain in '40 the germans would have had the bomb before we ever did.
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Bodyboarder
Trad climber
Los Angeles,CA
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My grandfather was there with the Canadians, he has nevers talked about it.
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dmalloy
Trad climber
eastside
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yes, hats off to all of those who served so well then, and the many who serve so well even to this day.
However, on a note that is only semi-related....the idea that if it weren't for D-Day we would all be German citizens right now is inane and ludicrous, and I am tired of hearing it for the last 34 years of my own existence. Even if Hitler's forces had been able to move across the Channel and occupy Britain, do you really believe that British citizens would have just said, "Ah well, we lost, I guess we'll become Germans."?
No, they would have resisted the occupation and totally depleted the economic and military resources Germany had, and eventually German forces would have been forced to leave. No way was the battle ever going to be extended all the way across the Atlantic Ocean, and even if it were, after that long voyage any German forces that showed up here would have been very quickly routed.
If you really need to see how much energy it requires for a hostile force to occupy land, take a look at Israel over the last 40 years....or for that matter, take a look at the United States over the last 3 years.
Moving an army into a state is easy; changing a state from what it is to what you would like it to be is nearly impossible. Our current administration chose to ignore centuries of history and invade Iraq, and the same lack of perception leads people to say "If it weren't for those guys on D-Day you would be speaking German right now."
They were heroic and strong and many of them acted with extreme bravery; let's honor them by paying attention to history, and minimizing the need for such sacrifice in the future.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 6, 2007 - 09:09pm PT
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I don't think you quite read me malloy.
If the german nuclear facilities hadn't been bombed with devastating effect upon their human resources the Nazis could have developed a device that, despite their insane leadership, would have forced allied capitulation.
Note we used OUR two bombs within weeks of their completion.
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