Largest gathering of bad assess at one time in the history of the world.

I thought this thread was going to be about tSwill.

I will never not be in absolute awe of those men and what that situation must have been like.

100%

It's amazing how they can be 100% bad asses and 100% terrified at the same time. What a generation.

Turtleneck wrote:I thought this thread was going to be about The Gathering.

Turtleneck’s a Juggalo.

I've posted these before, but I can never post these enough. If you can make it out to D-Day beaches it is worth the trip. There are 3 or 4 spots close that you can hit in a day.

This is Omaha beach. It is now a vacation spot.





German artillery batteries overlooking the coast. There were a half dozen of these in the area.

Point de Houc. This spot was nuts with all the shell craters. Rangers scaled the cliff and eventually overran German positions. Took a few days.

This waited for the Rangers after they got up the cliff. Pretty amazing how intact these pill boxes were with craters all around them.

Normandy American Cemetery (first pic is from Pointe du Houc)

We were eating lunch at a spot by Omaha beach and this Jeep pulled up. Iconic pic from the trip...

We were on a tour bus in Florence, Italy a few years ago with a group of Americans and in the middle of seemingly nowhere the bus driver pulls over and slowly creeps around the next corner.  The very Italian tour guide then says “on the right hand side just around this next corner is the Florence American Cemetery where 4,000 brave American souls rest after sacrificing their lives to liberate Italy from fascism.  We are eternally grateful.” One of the most powerful things I’ve ever experienced. It was not part of the tour so no one was able to prepare for that moment.

MiamiSpartan wrote:I will never not be in absolute awe of those men and what that situation must have been like.  

Truly, a collection of THE greatest men in history. Selfless, brave,  world changing people.

As great as that landing was - the whole sweep across Europe was something to behold. D- Day represents as a whole, what was done on many battlefields across the world in that war.

Bad Ass leadership had much to do with it:

But D-Day was hardly a sure thing. Eisenhower was worried about the weather. He was worried that the Nazis would get tipped off about the invasion. He was worried that such an audacious amphibious operation would fail. And he was tormented by the fact that at his command, many of the fresh-faced troops he’d addressed that day would not survive. The night before the invasion, Ike sat down and wrote, by hand, a note that he would dispatch in the event of failure:

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower wrote:Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.

The last two words are underlined (not crossed out).

Spartytruth wrote:As great as that landing was - the whole sweep across Europe was something to behold. D- Day represents as a whole, what was done on many battlefields across the world in that war.

Agreed, however:

If December 7, 1941, is a day that lives in infamy, then June 6, 1944 is the glorious opposite: D-Day, the date of the Allied invasion of Normandy. The landing involved some 5,000 ships, 11,000 planes, and 150,000 men, and comprised the largest and most complex air-, sea-, and land operation ever attempted, before or since. D-Day opened a much-needed second front against Nazi Germany, and marked the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe.

https://gregolear.substack.com/p/sunday-pages-in-case-of-failure

Had to take Dad to a Dr. appt this morning.

Proudly wearing his USN ball cap, he asks the 40-something receptionist "do you know what today is?"

She says Tuesday.

He tells her it's D-Day.

She has no idea what that is.

Is this country that clueless?

Floyd Robertson wrote:Had to take Dad to a Dr. appt this morning.

Proudly wearing his USN ball cap, he asks the 40-something receptionist "do you know what today is?"

She says Tuesday.

He tells her it's D-Day.

She has no idea what that is.

Is this country that clueless?

I would have really had to bite my tongue. I might have mentioned it’s one of the biggest reasons you are even standing here enjoying the fucking job you have. Hope your dad’s doing OK.

DWags wrote:

Floyd Robertson wrote:Had to take Dad to a Dr. appt this morning.

Proudly wearing his USN ball cap, he asks the 40-something receptionist "do you know what today is?"

She says Tuesday.

He tells her it's D-Day.

She has no idea what that is.

Is this country that clueless?

I would have really had to bite my tongue. I might have mentioned it’s one of the biggest reasons you are even standing here enjoying the fucking job you have. Hope your dad’s doing OK.

You guys won’t like this very much, but people tend to look at their fathers generation as deserving undying utmost respect more than younger people that never knew your father will. Dday does in fact mean more to you than someone who has never met someone that fought in it. It doesn’t make them bad or careless. Time washes things out. At some point when you were a kid you probably pissed off an older person by not acknowledging April 9th or July 3rd or something properly. When I’m older some kid won’t show proper reverence on 9/11 and people my age will get mad at them. It’s how it goes as time marches on

Also honestly I usually have no idea what the date is really because it doesn’t matter all that much. If you had asked me yesterday I would have known it was June, then would have thought about if my sprinklers ran today or not to determine if it was an odd or even date

Floyd Robertson wrote:Had to take Dad to a Dr. appt this morning.

Proudly wearing his USN ball cap, he asks the 40-something receptionist "do you know what today is?"

She says Tuesday.

He tells her it's D-Day.

She has no idea what that is.

Is this country that clueless?

I'll be totally honest.. I didn't know today was D-Day until I saw this thread.

(of course, if someone told me it was D-Day, I'd know what they meant.. it's just not the kind of thing that resides in the forefront of my mind).

I hope your Dad is doing okay.

It's clear why we focus on one date, however as noted all the planning and actions before and after that date were just as important.

Drama always focuses us.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

DWags wrote:

I would have really had to bite my tongue. I might have mentioned it’s one of the biggest reasons you are even standing here enjoying the fucking job you have. Hope your dad’s doing OK.

You guys won’t like this very much, but people tend to look at their fathers generation as deserving undying utmost respect more than younger people that never knew your father will. Dday does in fact mean more to you than someone who has never met someone that fought in it. It doesn’t make them bad or careless. Time washes things out. At some point when you were a kid you probably pissed off an older person by not acknowledging April 9th or July 3rd or something properly. When I’m older some kid won’t show proper reverence on 9/11 and people my age will get mad at them. It’s how it goes as time marches on

Agree, I understand, and it’s wrong. I think of how MLK isn’t recognized and respected and think it’s probably why we are who we are at this point. You are, 100% correct however.

I don’t mind that they don’t know specifics. But let’s face it, along with the specifics so too are the ideas and ideals being disregarded. Certainly not by everyone. But by enough.

Still incredible that the Allies moved 156,000 troops in nearly 7000 ships boats and landing craft across 50 miles of the English Channel and were able to keep the plan so secret for over two years the Germans didn't learn the location until it was happening.