Band of Brothers: Part I

Veterans’ Day is approaching, and I am reflecting on June 6, 1944, which was D-Day. I was lucky to be able to tour the Normandy Beaches this summer, and it was a life-changing trip.

The Normandy Invasion, Operation Overlord, was a mix of allied forces on 5 beaches in France. Point-Du-Hoc was a preliminary battle with a series of tall, vertical cliffs which were conquered by the newly formed Rangers from the USA. Climbing the cliffs was virtually impossible, but the Rangers did it anyway using ladders and metal hooks attached to ropes.

Omaha and Utah beaches were the primary 1st and 2nd beaches of the Normandy Invasion, and the Americans led those fights. There were heavy losses for the Americans, demonstrated by the acres of white crosses in France marking American graves. Many American soldiers who died on D-Day were sent home for burial at the request of their families, but thousands are buried in France. It is humbling to see.

Gold Beach was the 3rd beach in the Normandy Invasion, and the British troops were the primary Allies at that location. The 4th beach was Juno beach, which was executed by the Canadians. And the 5th beach was Sword beach, which was manned primarily by the French.

The Normandy Invasion was clearly impossible at best and involved a long list of plans and executions that went wrong. The weather was terrible, and D-Day was delayed until June 6 when the weather was “slightly less terrible” than it had been before. Due to weather, an extremely choppy English Channel, and several miscalculations, the troops on some beaches landed over a mile from their originally planned location.

The Allies faced impossible situations but used their skills, American ingenuity, and unbelievable bravery to eventually prevail. It was not an immediate victory, and there were heavy casualties from all the Allied forces over several days. The Germans had prepped the beaches with explosive and protective devices long before D-Day to prevent an invasion such as Normandy along what the Germans called “The Atlantic Wall.” The Allies were not expected to try something so daring, but they did.

The Battle of the Bulge followed in Belgium and Luxembourg, which also involved massive casualties of American troops. American cemeteries and American flags are everywhere the Americans fought, even after 70+ years. They have not forgotten that the Americans traveled far from their homeland to liberate so many countries in Europe, and this freedom continues today.

I walked those beaches. I heard the wind. I saw the choppy waves and the rugged rocky shorelines. Some remnants of the battles are still there. I could FEEL what happened there.

So many young, promising lives were lost during this invasion. The number of families affected was massive. I remember thinking that military leaders had to plan and approve the Normandy Invasion, knowing the possible outcome. What an impossible decision that must have been.

And then, on the last day of our tour, we visited Dachau Concentration Camp in Germany. We saw the ovens with doors on the side to empty human ashes when the bins got too full. We saw the “shower rooms” where the showers didn’t dispense water. We saw where ashes were disposed of. Absolutely humbling and shocking. This was one of the reasons that the Normandy Invasion was planned and executed.

My view of all Veterans is forever changed. #NEVERFORGET

** Watch this space in the coming days for Band of Brothers: Part II...