re: June 6th, 1944. It is 7:06 in France. The Normandy landings have begun.

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Has France ever returned the favour?

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One might posit that US involvement in France in WWI & WWII was payment (with onerous interest) for a debt incurred in the 1780s.

My grandfather wrote the following:

"I'll never forget the spectacle of D-Day. It was thrilling and did we have a grandstand seat. Seeing the firing at dawn was a rare and beautiful sight. The whole import behind it was thrilling. I felt so proud and so happy, just to look under my wing to right or left, and see the ghostly outlines of ships in the half light, blasting away at shore installations. To us who had waited so long, it was the beginning of our return home." June 13, 1944 -- a few lines from a letter from my grandfather to my grandmother just after D-Day.

He was the first naval aviator to land in France on the beaches of Normandy that day when the plane he was flying was hit by enemy fire. Ground crews patched his bird up and away he flew again. He completed 13 sorties and among other commendations, received the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight. He was flying Spitfires for the British at the time, one of only 15 US pilots chosen to do so. I am so proud of him. Never knew he wrote so beautifully.

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My grandfather wrote the following:

"I'll never forget the spectacle of D-Day. It was thrilling and did we have a grandstand seat. Seeing the firing at dawn was a rare and beautiful sight. The whole import behind it was thrilling. I felt so proud and so happy, just to look under my wing to right or left, and see the ghostly outlines of ships in the half light, blasting away at shore installations. To us who had waited so long, it was the beginning of our return home." June 13, 1944 -- a few lines from a letter from my grandfather to my grandmother just after D-Day.

He was the first naval aviator to land in France on the beaches of Normandy that day when the plane he was flying was hit by enemy fire. Ground crews patched his bird up and away he flew again. He completed 13 sorties and among other commendations, received the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight. He was flying Spitfires for the British at the time, one of only 15 US pilots chosen to do so. I am so proud of him. Never knew he wrote so beautifully.

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Thats interesting as hell... I love it.

We vacationed several time in La Haye du Puits in Normandy. Took the kids to Omaha beach and visited the American cemetery. Powerful place.

And what a small world — there’s a poster here who was actually his home health PT. Wish I could remember his screen name.

I shared things about my grandfather and the PT was like I think I treated him! Few more posts and we had confirmed that he indeed did treat my grandfather.

EDIT: I think his user name was ClarkGrizzwold??? I could be VERY wrong.....

Those of you interested in History as well as Weather, I ran across this article from the UK Met Office. It talks about the role weather forecasts played in the D-Day invasions and how the Allies were much further along than the Germans in that regard.

UK Met and D-Day

Several videos in the link, as well.

My great-uncle Willie was under General Bradley - I forget which beach they landed on

He never spoke too much about it - was drafted and did what he had to do. He said they got out in chest deep water (he was short) and were pinned down for three hours. The guys on either side were shot, he drug them through the sand to the medics against orders but he received a bronze star - went on to fight in the battle of the bulge and then liberate a concentration camp

When honorably discharged he was a fireman.



ETA: I hope whoever downvoted this burns in hell.

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I used to drink a few with a veteran who was there that day. He climbed the cliff at point du hoc(sp). He watched his buddies get picked off one by one as he made his way to the top. He was 17. Last I heard he was at the veterans home in Jackson. Probably no longer around. He was an awesome person

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Led by James Earl Rudder no doubt, fightin Texas Aggie class of 1932! TAMU has a building named after him that is exactly 110 feet tall, the same height as Pointe Du Hoc.

Out of the 580 2nd rangers that climbed pointe du hoc only 90 made it to be reinforced by the 5th ranger battalion. Staggering losses from an an almost impossible task.

My great uncle was there. He would die just over a month after that, outside of Paris in Mitry Mory. I've often thought about what he must have been thinking on D-Day.