An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Remembering D-Day

  • Published
  • By Col. Al Hunt
  • 375th Airlift WIng Commander
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Sixty-four years ago, thousands of brave Americans laid down their lives in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy on the date that we still know as D-Day. This launched the Allied invasion of Western Europe and marked the beginning of the end of Adolf Hitler's regime. 

Under command of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, months of planning and practice came to a head when more than 160,000 Allied servicemembers stormed nearly 50-miles of enemy-riddled beaches. Americans from the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions as well as Army Rangers stormed Omaha Beach while paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions and Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division stormed Utah Beach. 

In all, 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft were used in the invasion. In that single day of fighting, more than 9,000 Allied troops were killed or injured. It was because of their sacrifice, however, that the Allied forces were able to begin their great trek across Europe and eventually bring down the Nazis and declare Victory in Europe on May 8, 1945. 

More than six decades later, we cannot help but reflect on the sacrifice of those brave men. Those who were first to land on the beaches of Normandy faced enemy fire head on as they stormed hundreds of feet of unprotected beach with as much as 80 pounds of equipment. The bravery and determination of these young men cannot be forgotten. They helped shape the outcome of WWII and forever protected the freedom of Americans and their allies. 

Today, the U.S. and our allies still face dangerous enemies around the world. Thousands of men and women are deployed, fighting to protect and defend the same freedoms we fought for in WWII. The servicemembers who invaded Normandy on D-Day serve as shining examples of service, sacrifice and patriotism to all of us, both uniformed military and civilian alike. 

I invite all of you, Joint Total Force Scott, to join me at 5 p.m. tomorrow at Props Lounge in the Scott Club as we pay tribute to all those who had a part in the infamous D-Day invasion. Let us honor the memory of the 9,387 servicemembers buried in Normandy who passed away on D-Day and the days that followed.