70th Anniversary of D-Day: Thank you to our World War II Veterans

Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the landing of Allied forces on the beaches of Normandy in northern France to begin the liberation of Europe from the Nazis. Thank you to our World War II veterans, from those that gave their lives overseas, have passed on since then, and those still with us. We never forget the sacrifices for our nation's freedom. 

Here is a brief description of the day from the U.S. Army:

On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolph Hitler’s crack troops.

 Source: http://www.army.mil/d-day/
This link is also a good resource for the history of the Normandy landings, including General Eisenhower's address, videos, images, maps, and other important resources.

American Cemetery in Normandy