It’s “A Gathering of the Greatest Generation” — though this year only a small group of that era’s aging heroes will commemorate the invasion of France at Normandy 65 years ago.
On Saturday afternoon, veterans will attend a National World War II Museum ceremony in New Orleans recognizing soldiers, sailors and airmen who made that invasion a turning point for Allied forces. However, organizers acknowledge few members of an already dwindling population are hardy enough to make the trip.
“We won’t have a veteran from each state, unfortunately,” said William Detweiler, who is in charge of the event. “They’re all in their 80s and 90s now, and getting around is just too hard for many of them.”
The Department of Veterans Affairs says about 2.6 million World War II veterans are still alive, but more than 300,000 are expected to die this year. California has the most with 555,974, Alaska the fewest with 5,903.
Meanwhile, I’m listening to President Obama’s speech, and, to give him his props, it’s not bad. Some may get on Obama for using his family in the speech here and there, but, personally, I think it is appropriate to do so in this speech, particularly since Obama is mentioning the names and stories of many other men who were part of the D Day invasion.
Don’t forget to see how Google is celebrating the day.
I am reading Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day right now and it’s incredible. The title comes from a quote from Rommel:
“…the first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive…the fate of Germany depends on the outcome…for the Allies, as well as Germany, it will be the longest day.”
He was absolutely right. Great post, Teach!
I might have to check that out, though I do not read that much in the way of non-fiction. Loved the Band Of Brothers series, really made it real.
What I like about this book is that it reads like a novel. The author was a war correspondent. He interviewed a lot of people for this book not long after the war. So if you’re looking for a personal and detailed portrayal of D-Day, this is a good book.
I’ll check it out. Read the whole Lord Of The Rings trilogy again.
BTW, did you get an email notification of my reply? Wondering because I all of a sudden stopped getting email notification of comments.
Yes, I did get an email notification.
Have a good weekend, Teach!
You too, Silke.
Now I gotta figure a way to get the email notification for me to work. Sigh.