D-Day: Reminding Us Of What American Exceptionalism Can Do

As we honor and reflect on the 71st anniversary of the D-Day invasion of Europe, we can pause to salute and thank that incredible (and "greatest") generation of Americans.

Hardened by a childhood spent in the depths of the Great Depression and energized by a war that needed to be fought, this proud generation with a "can do" attitude, seemingly missing today, did the heavy lifting that preserved the freedom of their own offspring — us, the baby boomers.

They taught us by their example, their sacrifices and their unselfishness the lessons that we must preserve and pass on to subsequent generations of Americans.

Every American should have the opportunity to visit the hallowed beaches of Normandy, to stand on Utah, the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc and gasp at the silence of the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer overlooking Omaha Beach. The reality of the bravery and sacrifice is overwhelming, and the only sounds heard are the whispered "thank you's" bathed in the inevitable tears of the stunned visitors.

To view the remnants of Mulberry B Harbour in Arromanches, France, however, is to truly comprehend the immensity of the Allied invasion's total accomplishment 71 years ago. Mulberry A Harbour at Omaha Beach was also constructed, but a vicious storm destroyed it on June 19, 1944.

A visitor takes a photograph of part of the 
National World War II Memorial in Washington

Without the assistance of computers, GPS or satellite reconnaissance, these massive prefab ports were meticulously planned and constructed by British, Canadian and American civil engineers and were completed and operational on June 9 — three days after the invasion!

In the 10 months after D-Day, Port Winston, Mulberry B's given handle, offered up its portable caisson piers, artificial breakwaters and floating bridges to safely land over 4 million tons of supplies, 550,000 vehicles including heavy tanks and personnel carriers, artillery and more than 2.7 million troops to reinforce and supply the Allied forces on their march through the Battle of the Bulge into Germany and on to victory.

Read the rest of the story HERE.

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