Thanks to all our Veterans and troops! Now it’s on us to honor their bravery by voting for President Biden who respects and fights for them. Unlike convicted felon Trump who called them suckers and losers. Vote Biden.
My heart cries for the surviving few, that they lived long enough to see a horrible, criminal, spineless traitor trying to demolish the freedoms they fought so bravely for. Let us get to the polls in November to show them how grateful we are, and re-elect a good man who believes in freedom, who is grateful for those survivors, and who cherishes this great nation and it's people.
My father fought in the European Theatre as part of the 95th Infantry Division. They arrived on Omaha Beach in late August, 1944. They fought their way to Paris and beyond. His division captured the city of Metz and later went north with Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star. He was my hero. A life long Republican, he reveled in the values of the party. He and these values are both gone now. And we face a threat from MAGA Republicans to the democracy and freedom he fought for. God bless his memory and God bless the USA. I also served in the Army from 1969-71. Proud veteran.
Eugene, thank you for sharing. I am a dual US-French national and I used to live in Saint Avold which is 20 minutes east of Metz. Thank you for your service, and rest assured that the people of France and Lorraine are forever grateful to the soldiers like your father who fought to free them. God bless.
My Pop, Lee Eugene Brownell, was wounded on December 4, 1944 in Saarlautern during the battle for Metz. He was a corporal in the 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Division, in Patton’s Third Army.
One of the former superintendents at the American Military cemetery in St. Avold told me the entire region west and east of the Saar River saw fierce fighting, and my French grandma told me the same. It's very rough terrain near Saarlautern and Saarlouis. There is a map on the Saar Offensive on warhistorynetwork .com. If you look for St-Avold, you will see a blue rectangle with a white "x" just below it. That's where my grandma's village and farm were. She told me about the Americans coming into the village and chasing the Germans out, and how kind US troops were to the villagers, who had had to lodge German troops and officers from the start of the war and had been poorly treated. I'm not sure if it was the same divisions as your father's, but the elders in the area all have the same memories of the US troops. The mayor of the village told stories about them often. General Patton is buried in Luxembourg.
Thank you Eugene and Michelle for your comments and sacrifices. I am so emotional today on D-Day. I support another young Veteran too on Substack. Here is his link should you be so inclined. We must never forget the sacrifices these men and women have made for us!! Never. I know I wont!! ❤️🇺🇸💙
What a beautiful comment! Thank you and your father and indeed your entire family for the service you have given for America. I promise I will do all I can to prevent trump from being re elected.
Democracy is much bigger than all of us and it is way more interesting and way bigger than the small and withered Donald Trump. Good for Joe Biden. How refreshing to have a President who understands what democracy means and who is determined to keep it strong for the benefit of all of us, whether some of us appreciate that or not.
Well said. Democracy is bigger than any tyrant that would bring it down but we have to all do our part to defend and protect it too. We aren’t in a physical battle yet but we certainly in a mental one and we must prevail. We just must! Vote traitors out in November and stay strong.
You are correct. Part of the beauty of democracy as I understand it is that we are expected to show up and participate. I think we've gotten a bit lazy in our obligations so the "strongmen" felt they could just do whatever they wanted. Not true.
I usually try to see the big picture, as you do. How so many Americans have turned toward Trump shocks me. The standard to be the president of the "greatest country in the world" has fallen so low, as to have a convicted felon be on the ballot, is worse than disgusting. I keep asking, how did we get here? What did we let happen, without doing anything to stop it?
Thank you Dan, today is the anniversary of the day that allowed us all to live free. In all of the memorials, however, of the selfless bravery, there is little mention of the women. I will copy my comment to Tom (TCinLA) Cleaver's post of this morning about the Longest Day.
Thank you, Tom, for painting the picture in close feeling and detail. My mother would approve.I believe it was day three when she waded ashore from a stranded landing craft, big bag of medical supplies ballanced on her head. This twenty-three year old Iowa farm girl who had never seen the ocean before, saw a long flat beach, covered with human bodies, as her group fanned out to triage. The ones who could be saved were flagged, while those who could not, she held there hands until they went limp after she told them they were loved and would never be forgotten, as she pressed that long needle with morphine into them. She was with a front line field evac, all the way to the Elb River, waving to the Red Army soldiers on the other side. She never talked about the beach, that day. After thirty some years as a trauma nurse, strong would not be close in describing my Mom. She and many others like her, kept our guys alive to fight again. Lest we forget
Fantastic reminder! Thank you to all the veterans who served! If you haven't read the book, The Women by Kristin Hannah - it is a wonderful reminder that women are very much a part of our past and current wars and need to be thanked and acknowledged and remembered too. Different jobs, different task, but all important jobs and many sacrifices given. I humbly and respectfully thank all our service men and women.
Thank you, Dan, for your words honoring the bravery and sacrifice of those young men so many years ago. We can not forget. We must not forget! The future is in our hands today as it was on that beach 80 years ago. Let's hope that again, we win the day.
Dan…..a beautiful essay both in words and pictures. What the people tasked with the job of invading France and beginning the downfall of Nazi Germany accomplished was truly incredible. They were able to get rid of autocrats and save the democratic world. So why today, with better technology, better communications, can’t we get rid of these despots, particularly the one living within our borders? Those people of 80 years ago on the shores of Normandy were truly the greatest generation.
Wouldn’t they have dearly loved an option to avoid that bloody deadly battle by voting! My dad, my mother’s brother, my great uncle who was a POW for over a year. (Stalag 3C Alt Drewitz Brandenburg, Prussia 52-14)
Yes, I think they would believe we have a clear choice this fall to avoid being taken over by autocrats and fascists.
Dan, we all are the beneficiaries of a safer world - made so by allies, bullets and blood. So many of our fathers fought, worked, sacrificed to do what most of us would think hard about: going to foreign soil to fight another country's battles - with a high risk of leaving blood, limbs or a corpse in that foreign land. They were heroes - all of them, whether they were in a uniform at home or overseas, we've have 80 years of peace because of D Day. Sadly some 'would be leaders' disrespect that sacrifice. Shame on them, and others who denigrate the young men and women who gave their lives for freedom.
Nancy - thanks for your note. My dad lied about his age to sign up; he was a marksman and a precision marching team member with shiny shoes and polished buttons, but all day he repaired trainer aircraft in eastern Canada, and my uncle joined the army, getting overseas just as the war ended. They ALL made a contribution.
p.s. with a surname like yours, I'm curious if your dad was a paratrooper?
Not all military went Over Seas. Many, many had to stay here in the States to support them in every way that was required, for them to accomplish their own mission.
It's interesting that if you're a WWII Veteran, then you are a WWII Veteran. However, if you are an equally serving Vietnam Veteran, that was never "In Country", but did the same things, here in the States as WWII Veterans, that were never Over Seas, you are considered a "Vietnam Era Veteran" NOT a Vietnam Veteran. There is something very Wrong With This Separate Designation, for "US". We did the jobs that we were given to do... Peace & Best Regards
Well, not exactly 80 yrs of peace...My generation & the one after it fought, & many died in V Nam. My husband was drafted & was an Army R.N. That war was not so clearly defined, as far as good & evil & a safer world are concerned. I was born in 1944, the final yr of WW2. Ive studied both our( USA) sides of that war European & Pacific. Please, I urge anyone reading this , fight for our freedom - against Maga. 🇺🇲🙏‼️
My stomach turns whenever I see documentaries of our boys landing on the beaches of Normandy and recall how Trump denigrated our soldiers who were either injured or captured in battle, and all from a man whose daddy got him out of the draft.
Thanks to all our Veterans and troops! Now it’s on us to honor their bravery by voting for President Biden who respects and fights for them. Unlike convicted felon Trump who called them suckers and losers. Vote Biden.
blue wave must come 💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙
Poll the military/veterans and they support Trump - not the installed government grifter - you can deceive yourselves - that’s about it.
The people that your candidate says were suckers and losers? Your candidate is a draft dodger. I don't believe they all support him. Prove it.
and your suckers and losers comment is unfounded - there is no proof of that - just the usual media creation.
He’s not “my candidate” - just reality.
My heart cries for the surviving few, that they lived long enough to see a horrible, criminal, spineless traitor trying to demolish the freedoms they fought so bravely for. Let us get to the polls in November to show them how grateful we are, and re-elect a good man who believes in freedom, who is grateful for those survivors, and who cherishes this great nation and it's people.
My father fought in the European Theatre as part of the 95th Infantry Division. They arrived on Omaha Beach in late August, 1944. They fought their way to Paris and beyond. His division captured the city of Metz and later went north with Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart, and Bronze Star. He was my hero. A life long Republican, he reveled in the values of the party. He and these values are both gone now. And we face a threat from MAGA Republicans to the democracy and freedom he fought for. God bless his memory and God bless the USA. I also served in the Army from 1969-71. Proud veteran.
Eugene, thank you for sharing. I am a dual US-French national and I used to live in Saint Avold which is 20 minutes east of Metz. Thank you for your service, and rest assured that the people of France and Lorraine are forever grateful to the soldiers like your father who fought to free them. God bless.
My Pop, Lee Eugene Brownell, was wounded on December 4, 1944 in Saarlautern during the battle for Metz. He was a corporal in the 379th Infantry Regiment, 95th Division, in Patton’s Third Army.
One of the former superintendents at the American Military cemetery in St. Avold told me the entire region west and east of the Saar River saw fierce fighting, and my French grandma told me the same. It's very rough terrain near Saarlautern and Saarlouis. There is a map on the Saar Offensive on warhistorynetwork .com. If you look for St-Avold, you will see a blue rectangle with a white "x" just below it. That's where my grandma's village and farm were. She told me about the Americans coming into the village and chasing the Germans out, and how kind US troops were to the villagers, who had had to lodge German troops and officers from the start of the war and had been poorly treated. I'm not sure if it was the same divisions as your father's, but the elders in the area all have the same memories of the US troops. The mayor of the village told stories about them often. General Patton is buried in Luxembourg.
Thank you.
Thank you for sharing this and for serving our country.
Thank you Eugene and Michelle for your comments and sacrifices. I am so emotional today on D-Day. I support another young Veteran too on Substack. Here is his link should you be so inclined. We must never forget the sacrifices these men and women have made for us!! Never. I know I wont!! ❤️🇺🇸💙
https://grumpycombatveteran.substack.com/p/on-haqqani?r=2o7uvb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thank you, Lisa!
Such a beautiful comment , ir brought tears. Thank you, thank you for everything.
What a beautiful comment! Thank you and your father and indeed your entire family for the service you have given for America. I promise I will do all I can to prevent trump from being re elected.
Thank you for both your words and your service, sir. I’m so grateful.
And this is what a REAL President looks and sounds like ❤️🤍💙🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🌊🌊🌊🌊
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
BRAVO & AMEN‼️🇺🇲👏👍🙏‼️
Thank you to all of the D-Day veterans, as well as, all WWII vets like my Dad.
And all the latter-day vets. They are no less patriots just because they served in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan or Iraq.
Democracy is much bigger than all of us and it is way more interesting and way bigger than the small and withered Donald Trump. Good for Joe Biden. How refreshing to have a President who understands what democracy means and who is determined to keep it strong for the benefit of all of us, whether some of us appreciate that or not.
Well said. Democracy is bigger than any tyrant that would bring it down but we have to all do our part to defend and protect it too. We aren’t in a physical battle yet but we certainly in a mental one and we must prevail. We just must! Vote traitors out in November and stay strong.
You are correct. Part of the beauty of democracy as I understand it is that we are expected to show up and participate. I think we've gotten a bit lazy in our obligations so the "strongmen" felt they could just do whatever they wanted. Not true.
I usually try to see the big picture, as you do. How so many Americans have turned toward Trump shocks me. The standard to be the president of the "greatest country in the world" has fallen so low, as to have a convicted felon be on the ballot, is worse than disgusting. I keep asking, how did we get here? What did we let happen, without doing anything to stop it?
Thank you Dan, today is the anniversary of the day that allowed us all to live free. In all of the memorials, however, of the selfless bravery, there is little mention of the women. I will copy my comment to Tom (TCinLA) Cleaver's post of this morning about the Longest Day.
Thank you, Tom, for painting the picture in close feeling and detail. My mother would approve.I believe it was day three when she waded ashore from a stranded landing craft, big bag of medical supplies ballanced on her head. This twenty-three year old Iowa farm girl who had never seen the ocean before, saw a long flat beach, covered with human bodies, as her group fanned out to triage. The ones who could be saved were flagged, while those who could not, she held there hands until they went limp after she told them they were loved and would never be forgotten, as she pressed that long needle with morphine into them. She was with a front line field evac, all the way to the Elb River, waving to the Red Army soldiers on the other side. She never talked about the beach, that day. After thirty some years as a trauma nurse, strong would not be close in describing my Mom. She and many others like her, kept our guys alive to fight again. Lest we forget
Wow, that's an amazing account and for sure we need to remember the oft not mentioned women. Thank you for sharing this!
Fantastic reminder! Thank you to all the veterans who served! If you haven't read the book, The Women by Kristin Hannah - it is a wonderful reminder that women are very much a part of our past and current wars and need to be thanked and acknowledged and remembered too. Different jobs, different task, but all important jobs and many sacrifices given. I humbly and respectfully thank all our service men and women.
Incredible service your mom gave to our country and Western Europe . Thank you for sharing this story with all of us. A truly brave heroic woman.
Wow! 🙏👍❤️
Thank you Dan for all you do including this public 'thank you' to those heroes.
Thank you, Dan, for your words honoring the bravery and sacrifice of those young men so many years ago. We can not forget. We must not forget! The future is in our hands today as it was on that beach 80 years ago. Let's hope that again, we win the day.
The living and the dead met their moment and prevailed, just as we must this November.
An incredible generation. They gave so.much. They came home and continued to build our nation. Our gratitude is boundless.
Dan…..a beautiful essay both in words and pictures. What the people tasked with the job of invading France and beginning the downfall of Nazi Germany accomplished was truly incredible. They were able to get rid of autocrats and save the democratic world. So why today, with better technology, better communications, can’t we get rid of these despots, particularly the one living within our borders? Those people of 80 years ago on the shores of Normandy were truly the greatest generation.
Wouldn’t they have dearly loved an option to avoid that bloody deadly battle by voting! My dad, my mother’s brother, my great uncle who was a POW for over a year. (Stalag 3C Alt Drewitz Brandenburg, Prussia 52-14)
Yes, I think they would believe we have a clear choice this fall to avoid being taken over by autocrats and fascists.
What a debt we all owe to the greatest generation. The least we could do is to preserve what they fought and died for.
Dan, we all are the beneficiaries of a safer world - made so by allies, bullets and blood. So many of our fathers fought, worked, sacrificed to do what most of us would think hard about: going to foreign soil to fight another country's battles - with a high risk of leaving blood, limbs or a corpse in that foreign land. They were heroes - all of them, whether they were in a uniform at home or overseas, we've have 80 years of peace because of D Day. Sadly some 'would be leaders' disrespect that sacrifice. Shame on them, and others who denigrate the young men and women who gave their lives for freedom.
Thanks for including those who stayed home but wore their uniforms proudly, as my father did.
Nancy - thanks for your note. My dad lied about his age to sign up; he was a marksman and a precision marching team member with shiny shoes and polished buttons, but all day he repaired trainer aircraft in eastern Canada, and my uncle joined the army, getting overseas just as the war ended. They ALL made a contribution.
p.s. with a surname like yours, I'm curious if your dad was a paratrooper?
Not all military went Over Seas. Many, many had to stay here in the States to support them in every way that was required, for them to accomplish their own mission.
It's interesting that if you're a WWII Veteran, then you are a WWII Veteran. However, if you are an equally serving Vietnam Veteran, that was never "In Country", but did the same things, here in the States as WWII Veterans, that were never Over Seas, you are considered a "Vietnam Era Veteran" NOT a Vietnam Veteran. There is something very Wrong With This Separate Designation, for "US". We did the jobs that we were given to do... Peace & Best Regards
Well, not exactly 80 yrs of peace...My generation & the one after it fought, & many died in V Nam. My husband was drafted & was an Army R.N. That war was not so clearly defined, as far as good & evil & a safer world are concerned. I was born in 1944, the final yr of WW2. Ive studied both our( USA) sides of that war European & Pacific. Please, I urge anyone reading this , fight for our freedom - against Maga. 🇺🇲🙏‼️
My stomach turns whenever I see documentaries of our boys landing on the beaches of Normandy and recall how Trump denigrated our soldiers who were either injured or captured in battle, and all from a man whose daddy got him out of the draft.
Donald tRump is a TRAITOR to his Former Office as President of The United States, to us Americans and a CONVICTED FELON!
How can he run for any Elected Office AND How Sick and ANTI-AMERICAN Anyone Is That Supports Him!
Yes. Trump & his followers( the Rep. Party) turn my stomach...
I don’t know any words of appreciation that can sufficiently describe what these servicemen did for us and the world. Forever grateful.