6th June 1944

June 6, 2012 at 5:02 pm

On this day in 1944, 195,700 naval and merchant navy personnel and 160,000 soldiers participated in Operation Neptune, the landing on the beaches in Normandy to begin the end of World War II in Europe.

One of the most famous remembrances of that effort is Ronald Reagan’s speech to, at the time, commemorate the 40th anniversary.

The Reagan Foundation has posted it in its entirety on YouTube.

If you haven’t seen it before it is absolutely fantastic:

 

This is also the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, which was the turning point in the War in the Pacific.

To the memory of those who died in the cause of freedom.

 If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English…thank a serviceman.