June 6th – D-Day

June 6th is a significant day in US history. On June 6, 1944, Allies stormed Normandy during World War II. This event was graphically captured in Steven Spielberg’s movie Saving Private Ryan. D-Day is actually a military term for the day an operation exercise starts. Most sources indicate that there is no significance to the letter D, other than the fact that it provides a point of reference, D+1, etc. The military also uses H-Hour for the time an operation starts. There were many D-Day operations, but the one involving the Allies to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation stands out in history for its importance.

This operation took months to plan. 2,700 ships converged from British ports from Wales to the North Atlantic. The operation involved 2,000,000 tons of war materials, including 50,000 armed tanks, armored cars, and other supplies. The US sent 1,700,000 soldiers. The Germans believed the invasion would not take place because of inclement weather on June 6th. But, as the sun rose, the operation began and was the catalyst to ending “the war of all wars”.

June 6, 1968, is also the date that Robert Kennedy died. He was shot on June 5th while campaigning in California for the Democratic Nomination for President. He passed away the next day. This year is the 40th Anniversary of his death. For those who remember the 60s, it was a very unsettling time within the United States. The assassination of Kennedy was one among several during that decade that gave reason to pause and remember.