I just wanted to remember my father, my father-in-law, and all who served as part of the "Greatest Generation" on this special day.

Thank you, too, to all who stood for freedom and for opposing those who sought to impose their twisted will on everyone.

Thank you to all those who have served and who ARE serving in the same way today.

God bless you. God bless America. God bless freedom loving people all over the world. God bless freedom that comes at so high a price.

If I had a flag "smiley" it would be waving right now on this post, just as my own flag is waving over my front door.

Thank you all....from the bottom of my heart....and especially to those to gave themselves so that we CAN be free to say and do whatever we want. May we all choose wisely...to honor your memory.

May we ever know that evil must be confronted before it grows huge enough to devour all with it's stench and twisted selfishness.

May we all "go with God."

Thanks FH for saying this. And I want to say the same for all those that came before and are serving now.

I was with the 29th Infantry Division most of my career. Those were the boys that landed on Omaha Beach...first wave. They were out of the Stonewall Jackson Brigade.

The town of Bedford, Virginia was the first to land at Omaha Beach that day. Within the first hour, the company of soldiers from Bedford were either killed or wounded. I forgot the statistics...I think it was something like almost 80% of the men between the ages of 18 and 34 that lived in Bedford...died or were wounded that day. If you go to Bedford today, you will see pictures in the town square...as everyone gathered and the telegrams came rolling in with the news of the deaths and injuries.

The D-Day Memorial opened a few years ago in Bedford. If you ever are travelling through Virginia on I-81, stop in and see it. It is inspiring.

When I was in Bosnia after 9/11, 10 of the D-Day vets from the 29th came over to see us. And while here we were, beginning a war agaisnt terrorism...all of the guys wanted to sit down and talk to the D-Day vets. To hear their stories.

Great men. Larger than life. I talked awhile to two of them about what they did after the war. They just worked normal jobs, average lives.

But what they did that day was absolutely inspiring. Saving Private Ryan, in those first 18 minutes...just begins to touch on what happened there.

They are dying off now. Their numbers are thinning. Soon, there will be no more D-Day vets to thank. I was proud to have met those guys...and we all hoped that as 29ers, that we would somehow live up in some small way to what they had done before us.

The Stonewall Brigade (which has its lineage back to Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson) has as its motto: Ever Forward. And that they did!

In His arms.

[color:"blue"] Tom Brokaw's book is an excellent read ... [/color]


A Long Way From Home • An Album of Memories
The Greatest Generation Speaks • The Greatest Generation


"I first began to appreciate fully all we owed the World War II generation while I was covering the fortieth and fiftieth anniversaries of D-Day for NBC News. When I wrote in The Greatest Generation about the men and women who came out of the Depression, who won great victories and made lasting sacrifices in World War II and then returned home to begin building the world we have today--the people I called the Greatest Generation--it was my way of saying thank you. I felt that this tribute was long overdue, but I was not prepared for the avalanche of letters and responses touched off by that book.

Members of that generation were, characteristically, grateful for the attention and modest about their own lives as they shared more remarkable stories about their experiences in the Depression and during the war years.

"Their children and grandchildren were eager to share the lessons and insights they gained from the stories they heard about the lives of a generation now passing on too swiftly. They wanted to say thank you in their own way. I had wanted to write a book about America, and now America was writing back.

"The letters, many of them written in firm Palmer penmanship on flowered stationery, have given me a much richer understanding not only of those difficult years but also of my own life. They give us new, intensely personal perspectives of a momentous time in our history. They are the voices of a generation that has given so much and wants to share even more.

"Some of the letters were written from the front during the war, or from families to their loved ones in harm's way in distant places. There were firsthand accounts of battles and poignant reflections on loneliness, exuberant expressions of love and somber accounts of loss.

"It seems that everyone in that generation has something worthwhile to contribute, and so we have included some pages in The Greatest Generation Speaks for others to share memories at once inspirational and instructive."

- Tom Brokaw

For those that want to check out the website, here is the link to the D-Day Memorial: National D-Day Memorial.

In His arms.

FH -

Thanks for the tribute to the men and women of our greatest generation. My father, as well as 2 of his younger brothers, all served in WWII (and beyond). All 3 survived the war (though all 3 are now deceased).

I echo your sentiments and thanks to all of those who have served, and are serving today.

MM -

Wow. I took a look at the pictures. Extremely moving (but then I'm often moved by military tributes). Definately on my list of places to visit sometime before my time here is done.

I remember one Memorial Day when I was still at home. Dad and I were watching a Memorial Day special on TV, and an actress (I forget who) was reading letters written home by soldiers in war. My dad, who was normally a very quiet, reserved and somewhat stoic individual, started crying, and I'll never forget what he said. "The greatest tragedy of war is all the young lives that are lost."

It is the ultimate sacrifice one human can make for another. And the men who hit the beaches at Normandy (and other places) did it for countless people and future generations that they would never know.

As FH said, we have the freedoms we have today because of their sacrifices. I hope and pray that we will never take our freedoms for granted.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.

For those who are interested, here's a link to a song (with pictures) that is a tribute to the veterans of WWII.

Before You Go

Here's what the introduction on the website says:

"Before You Go" is offered as an expression of heartfelt gratitude to those who fought and won the Second World War - for their bravery, gallantry and sacrifices that assure the continued enjoyment of freedoms unprecedented in the history of mankind.

As we lose those who gave us so much to age and time, it is our hope that the wondrous technology of the age of Internet will help us to deliver this tribute and message of thanks to every surviving veteran of the Second World War, their families and descendants.

With our profound thanks to those who we can never adequately thank, and in the hope that you will help us spread our message, we offer

"Before You Go"