6 June 1944

Today is the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, the day in which the US-led Allies invaded the coast of France, beginning the Battle of Normandy during World War II. This invasion began the Allied liberation of Europe, and ultimately resulted in the taking of Berlin, and the end of the war in the European Theater.

D-Day was significant in many ways. It was the largest naval armada in history, consisting of thousands of ships. Nearly 3 million troops were assembled as the invasion force to land in France, and included elements of Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force. The invasion force was made up of several nations including primarily the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, with some participation from Free France and Poland. Allied casualities were high: 45,000 were killed in action, with some 173,000 wounded or missing. German forces lost over 23,000 KIA, 67,000 wounded and 198,000 missing or captured.

Sadly, no mention of this historic event was mentioned in many newspapers. I'm reminded of George Santayana's famous quote: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.