In a message to the troops just hours before the D-Day invasion, General Dwight Eisenhower said, “The eyes of the world are upon you.” He could not have known how true those words rang for both those in battlefields afar and families waiting anxiously at home.
The soldiers who stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, saw some of the most intense fighting of World War II. While the costs were great, D-Day also represented a turning of the tide in the push for the liberation of France and victory over the Nazi regime.
Today, at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, I had the opportunity to honor and remember those who played a role in the invasion on this day 70 years ago. Those of us who were not at D-Day will never be able to fathom the scene. But the stories and accounts will forever remind us of the courage, bravery, and sacrifice of many who paid the last full measure of devotion so that we could enjoy the freedoms and liberties envisioned by our founding fathers.
The veterans of D-Day, members of the “Greatest Generation,” are one of our nation’s most celebrated treasures. I am grateful for their service 70 years ago and for the service of all of our veterans in the defense of this great nation.
Bob Goodlatte represents the Sixth District in Congress.
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