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OT: 75th Anniversary of D-Day

Tetragrammaton Cane said:
Baby boomers, for the most part, are the children of the GI’s. So boomers are not to thank for WWII


Here’s a theory on generations by Strauss-Howe and we’re up to the 26th or “Z” generation.

Strauss–Howe generational theory - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org en.m.wikipedia.org
Click to expand...

I was talking more about how we have arrived at generations where we need safe spaces etc...

The baby boomers lived in a fairy tale time that was one of the best in human history to this point
 
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For_The_U said:
I was born in 1979, so I am not a Baby Boomer. Although the reality is every generation has good people and bad people. Everyone in The Greatest Generation wasn't perfect and wasn't a hero; and there are plenty of brave and noble men and women in the current young generations. Very few blanket generalizations are true across the board. One of my best friends is Army SF and I can promise you he is not one shred less of an incredible human being as those men were who charged the beaches of Normandy 75 years ago.

I was speaking moreso as a generality. It absolutely boggles my mind the issues that so many of the current young generation whip themselves into a frenzy over. There are kids these days that choose to spend their time at college protesting the school's mascot instead of enjoying the experience and enriching their lives. WTF! I agree the Baby Boomers planted many of those seeds. But in my opinion, it is much more a result of the fact the current generation(s) as a whole weren't forced to deal with true struggle as a society to the level the Greatest Generation did and those before it. You know where the parents of The Greatest Generation came from? The freakin Great Depression! So it's not surprising nor a coincidence that those people's children were raised with an extremely strong work ethic and a willingness to sacrifice. Many millennials were born into and still exist in a world that doesn't present challenges to the level of the Great Depression or WWII. They've never known anything other than their world of comfort, materialism, social media and instant gratification. That's not their fault by any means, nor does it in any way apply across the board to all, but IMO it is the core of why so many young people are the way they are. People at the turn of the 20th century had to deal with famine, as in famine so bad your children may literally starve to death if you don't work your *** off every day - and even that might not be enough. The Greatest Generation had to defeat the ***** and Japanese in horrific hand-to-hand combat on foreign lands. Now we have young people today who think the biggest strife in life is the fact someone who purchases an NBA team is referred to as an "owner".

It is oftentimes necessity and struggle that make a man. Many of those soldiers were not heroes on June 5th of 1944, but they became heroes the next day when those landing craft doors opened. IMO, realities/comforts of modern day society, and the fact so few American citizens actually feel the impact of true struggles like war and are able to remain mostly disconnected from it (not the case at all back then; WWII affected the entire nation on a daily basis) plays a huge part in why a large swath of our current society, particularly its youth, seems to spend every day literally SEEKING OUT new things to clutch their pearls over.
Click to expand...


Nice post. Particularly the last paragraph. Not sure I agree with a lot of the rest. I don't comment on the stupid posts in the remainder of the thread because they are so laughably short-sighted it's not worth acknowledging (except in this sentence).

You can't complain about many of today's people when a lot of their parents raised them and/or would be acting the same way if they were raised nowadays. Same with a lot of these war heroes (aka grandparents/ great grandparents). Have them raised in a different era and sets of circumstances/variables etc and they would likely not be the same people. It's incredibly stupid to assume the character of one generation is somehow 'better' than another as well.
 
JD08 said:
My father volunteered straight out of high school in 1943 and the Army decided he'd make a great engineer, so off to Maine he went. After the spring term of 44, the Army decided infantrymen were more needed than engineers so back to training and then off to Europe on a ship with hundreds of others. He was in Patton's Third Army and drove the Red Ball, then fought in the Bulge. My father missed D-Day by 3 months and was very thankful to have done so, despite all the other horrors he went through.

He later got a master's in economics from NYU and had a great career, but those few years in Europe were what he reflected on as he aged. It defined his entire generation. He passed away in February of 2017 and not a day goes by that I wish he was still here. All those stories he told and I had heard so many times that I stopped pay attention are all gone now.
Click to expand...

Your dad was a hero
 
RemainMack said:
Nice post. Particularly the last paragraph. Not sure I agree with a lot of the rest. I don't comment on the stupid posts in the remainder of the thread because they are so laughably short-sighted it's not worth acknowledging (except in this sentence).

You can't complain about many of today's people when a lot of their parents raised them and/or would be acting the same way if they were raised nowadays. Same with a lot of these war heroes (aka grandparents/ great grandparents). Have them raised in a different era and sets of circumstances/variables etc and they would likely not be the same people. It's incredibly stupid to assume the character of one generation is somehow 'better' than another as well.
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I agree with that. Which is why I commented in the second paragraph "That's not their fault by any means" and said the world they've grown up in is IMO the core factor in what a generation becomes. They are a byproduct of the world they've been raised in. Just like The Greatest Generation was a byproduct of being raised by a society who had just gotten through the Great Depression. The times made the men; it wasn't that they were some different species of human back then.
 
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That was a time when if you said you had "Bone Spurs" they'd say ...."Good!! We need some slow ones....you're going into the infantry son.....you'll draw enemy fire away from the healthy ones"

Everyone served our country in one way or another....regardless of their station in life
 
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For_The_U said:
I was born in 1979, so I am not a Baby Boomer. Although the reality is every generation has good people and bad people. Everyone in The Greatest Generation wasn't perfect and wasn't a hero; and there are plenty of brave and noble men and women in the current young generations. Very few blanket generalizations are true across the board. One of my best friends is Army SF and I can promise you he is not one shred less of an incredible human being as those men were who charged the beaches of Normandy 75 years ago.

I was speaking moreso as a generality. It absolutely boggles my mind the issues that so many of the current young generation whip themselves into a frenzy over. There are kids these days that choose to spend their time at college protesting the school's mascot instead of enjoying the experience and enriching their lives. WTF! I agree the Baby Boomers planted many of those seeds. But in my opinion, it is much more a result of the fact the current generation(s) as a whole weren't forced to deal with true struggle as a society to the level the Greatest Generation did and those before it. You know where the parents of The Greatest Generation came from? The freakin Great Depression! So it's not surprising nor a coincidence that those people's children were raised with an extremely strong work ethic and a willingness to sacrifice. Many millennials were born into and still exist in a world that doesn't present challenges to the level of the Great Depression or WWII. They've never known anything other than their world of comfort, materialism, social media and instant gratification. That's not their fault by any means, nor does it in any way apply across the board to all, but IMO it is the core of why so many young people are the way they are. People at the turn of the 20th century had to deal with famine, as in famine so bad your children may literally starve to death if you don't work your *** off every day - and even that might not be enough. The Greatest Generation had to defeat the ***** and Japanese in horrific hand-to-hand combat on foreign lands. Now we have young people today who think the biggest strife in life is the fact someone who purchases an NBA team is referred to as an "owner".

It is oftentimes necessity and struggle that make a man. Many of those soldiers were not heroes on June 5th of 1944, but they became heroes the next day when those landing craft doors opened. IMO, realities/comforts of modern day society, and the fact so few American citizens actually feel the impact of true struggles like war and are able to remain mostly disconnected from it (not the case at all back then; WWII affected the entire nation on a daily basis) plays a huge part in why a large swath of our current society, particularly its youth, seems to spend every day literally SEEKING OUT new things to clutch their pearls over.
Click to expand...
I guess I am a typical baby boomer. Born in 1949 I, along with all my friends, grew up in an era of great energy. It was only 5 years out from the great war and the economy was booming. There were jobs aplenty and there were many, many changes. But remember that the first ten years, or so, of the generation was not molded by the boomers but by the previous generation.

It was not easy being a boomer. Along with the so called peace that followed the war there was an over abundance of turmoil all over the world AND the emergence of two world super powers, each with their own idea of how the world should be (US versus USSR); AND to make matters worse both super powers had many, many nuclear weapons. I remember the drills (like they would have done any good). I lived through the Cuban missile crisis. Talk about a scary time to live. Then the military industrial complex took over and **** we picked up the gauntlet for the war in Vietnam. For the most part, growing up in such turmoil means we are molded by the events around us. And, we react to them. Say what you will about the baby boomers but we put up with an awful lot of BS shoved at us by a government filled with previous generation legislators.
 
For_The_U said:
I was born in 1979, so I am not a Baby Boomer. Although the reality is every generation has good people and bad people. Everyone in The Greatest Generation wasn't perfect and wasn't a hero; and there are plenty of brave and noble men and women in the current young generations. Very few blanket generalizations are true across the board. One of my best friends is Army SF and I can promise you he is not one shred less of an incredible human being as those men were who charged the beaches of Normandy 75 years ago.

I was speaking moreso as a generality. It absolutely boggles my mind the issues that so many of the current young generation whip themselves into a frenzy over. There are kids these days that choose to spend their time at college protesting the school's mascot instead of enjoying the experience and enriching their lives. WTF! I agree the Baby Boomers planted many of those seeds. But in my opinion, it is much more a result of the fact the current generation(s) as a whole weren't forced to deal with true struggle as a society to the level the Greatest Generation did and those before it. You know where the parents of The Greatest Generation came from? The freakin Great Depression! So it's not surprising nor a coincidence that those people's children were raised with an extremely strong work ethic and a willingness to sacrifice. Many millennials were born into and still exist in a world that doesn't present challenges to the level of the Great Depression or WWII. They've never known anything other than their world of comfort, materialism, social media and instant gratification. That's not their fault by any means, nor does it in any way apply across the board to all, but IMO it is the core of why so many young people are the way they are. People at the turn of the 20th century had to deal with famine, as in famine so bad your children may literally starve to death if you don't work your *** off every day - and even that might not be enough. The Greatest Generation had to defeat the ***** and Japanese in horrific hand-to-hand combat on foreign lands. Now we have young people today who think the biggest strife in life is the fact someone who purchases an NBA team is referred to as an "owner".

It is oftentimes necessity and struggle that make a man. Many of those soldiers were not heroes on June 5th of 1944, but they became heroes the next day when those landing craft doors opened. IMO, realities/comforts of modern day society, and the fact so few American citizens actually feel the impact of true struggles like war and are able to remain mostly disconnected from it (not the case at all back then; WWII affected the entire nation on a daily basis) plays a huge part in why a large swath of our current society, particularly its youth, seems to spend every day literally SEEKING OUT new things to clutch their pearls over.
Click to expand...

Well said and spot on. We're roughly the same age so I commend you for being willing to be self-critical as we're probably at the "older" end of the current generation(s) that you speak of. It just, as Peter Griffin would say, grinds my gears when the Boomers are oh so quick to level those same criticisms and then some at people that are in their 20s and 30s now when they live in the most fragile of glass houses on this front.
 
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For_The_U said:
I was born in 1979, so I am not a Baby Boomer. Although the reality is every generation has good people and bad people. Everyone in The Greatest Generation wasn't perfect and wasn't a hero; and there are plenty of brave and noble men and women in the current young generations. Very few blanket generalizations are true across the board. One of my best friends is Army SF and I can promise you he is not one shred less of an incredible human being as those men were who charged the beaches of Normandy 75 years ago.

I was speaking moreso as a generality. It absolutely boggles my mind the issues that so many of the current young generation whip themselves into a frenzy over. There are kids these days that choose to spend their time at college protesting the school's mascot instead of enjoying the experience and enriching their lives. WTF! I agree the Baby Boomers planted many of those seeds. But in my opinion, it is much more a result of the fact the current generation(s) as a whole weren't forced to deal with true struggle as a society to the level the Greatest Generation did and those before it. You know where the parents of The Greatest Generation came from? The freakin Great Depression! So it's not surprising nor a coincidence that those people's children were raised with an extremely strong work ethic and a willingness to sacrifice. Many millennials were born into and still exist in a world that doesn't present challenges to the level of the Great Depression or WWII. They've never known anything other than their world of comfort, materialism, social media and instant gratification. That's not their fault by any means, nor does it in any way apply across the board to all, but IMO it is the core of why so many young people are the way they are. People at the turn of the 20th century had to deal with famine, as in famine so bad your children may literally starve to death if you don't work your *** off every day - and even that might not be enough. The Greatest Generation had to defeat the ***** and Japanese in horrific hand-to-hand combat on foreign lands. Now we have young people today who think the biggest strife in life is the fact someone who purchases an NBA team is referred to as an "owner".

It is oftentimes necessity and struggle that make a man. Many of those soldiers were not heroes on June 5th of 1944, but they became heroes the next day when those landing craft doors opened. IMO, realities/comforts of modern day society, and the fact so few American citizens actually feel the impact of true struggles like war and are able to remain mostly disconnected from it (not the case at all back then; WWII affected the entire nation on a daily basis) plays a huge part in why a large swath of our current society, particularly its youth, seems to spend every day literally SEEKING OUT new things to clutch their pearls over.
Click to expand...

“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

Nice comment!
 
from Doug Dunbar on Twitter:
I took this photo of Sgt Major Robert Blatnik 5 years ago. This was the stretch of Omaha beach in Normandy where he came ashore on #DDay. He commanded 901 men. Head count 24 hours later and about 500 yards inland, they had 387. 500 yards. Let that soak in. #neverforget
D8YgIqgX4AAWw8W.jpg
 
I agree that no generation is literally better than the next ....but WWII was the last time we as a nation reacted with an "ALL hands on Deck" attitude. Thus their claim to the greatest generation. It was not by choice, more by circumstances....but fact is, they did rise to the occasion.

There was far less stratification those days, lots more commonalities and almost everyone pitched in towards one goal. Greed and corruption didn't disappear nor did crime so they weren't morally superior. Without a doubt America had many severe internal problems that weren't resolved and many still linger on today.

Who's to say that another generation wouldn't have done the same or better?

No one knows. I'm just glad they did ....and I sincerely hope another one isn't ever asked to do so
 
Trump Shines on D-Day: ‘Most Powerful’ Speech Ever
https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/wp...ormandy.jpgJPG

When MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough is praising Donald Trump, you can be certain the president did something right.
Thursday morning, Scarborough swooned over Trump’s speech honoring the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, during World War II.

On his show, “Morning Joe,” Scarborough said Trump’s words are “the most powerful he’s given as a president of the United States, from certainly the most moving setting.”

And the praise didn’t stop there. Even CNN’s Jim Acosta admitted that the speech was the “most on-message moment” of Trump’s presidency. He “rose to the moment,” Acosta said.

Trump’s words were indeed inspiring.

via @YouTube

He began by recognizing the unprecedented bravery and sacrifice of so many on June 6, 1944.

“We are gathered here on freedom’s altar,” Trump said. “On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives, for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty. Today, we remember those who fell, and we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilization.”
Trump then paid special respects to those survivors who were present at his speech. “To more than 170 veterans of the Second World War who join us today: You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live,” Trump said. “You’re the pride of our nation. You are the glory of our republic. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Here with you are over 60 veterans who landed on D-Day. Our debt to you is everlasting. Today, we express our undying gratitude.”

In one of the most compelling moments of his speech, Trump told the story of that morning with respectful yet passionate sentiment.

“On the 6th of June 1944, they joined a liberation force of awesome power and breathtaking scale,” Trump said. “After months of planning, the Allies had chosen this ancient coastline to mount their campaign to vanquish the wicked tyranny of the **** empire from the face of the Earth.”

“The battle began in the skies above us. In those first tense midnight hours, 1,000 aircraft roared overhead with 17,000 Allied airborne troops preparing to leap into the darkness beyond these trees.

“Then came dawn. The enemy who had occupied these heights saw the largest naval armada in the history of the world. Just a few miles offshore were 7,000 vessels bearing 130,000 warriors. They were the citizens of free and independent nations, united by their duty to their compatriots and to millions yet unborn.”
Trump humbly acknowledged other nations’ sacrifice — he specifically thanked the British, Canadians and the Poles.

But he saved the best for last.

“And, finally, there were the Americans,” Trump said. “They came from the farms of a vast heartland, the streets of glowing cities, and the forges of mighty industrial towns. Before the war, many had never ventured beyond their own community. Now they had come to offer their lives half a world from home.”
The president spoke of individual stories from that day. He told the audience of Ray Lambert, winner of four Purple Hearts and an attender at Trump’s speech.

Trump spoke of the heroism of Capt. Joe Dawson, Col. George Taylor and Private First Class Russell Pickett.

“These men ran through the fires of **** moved by a force no weapon could destroy: The fierce patriotism of a free, proud and sovereign people,” Trump said.

“They battled not for control and domination, but for liberty, democracy, and self-rule. They pressed on for love in home and country — the Main Streets, the schoolyards, the churches and neighbors, the families and communities that gave us men such as these. They were sustained by the confidence that America can do anything because we are a noble nation, with a virtuous people, praying to a righteous God.”
Trump’s words included a powerful observation: “The blood that they spilled, the tears that they shed, the lives that they gave, the sacrifice that they made, did not just win a battle. It did not just win a war. Those who fought here won a future for our nation. They won the survival of our civilization. And they showed us the way to love, cherish, and defend our way of life for many centuries to come.”

As he concluded, the president made a promise.

“Today, as we stand together upon this sacred Earth, we pledge that our nations will forever be strong and united,” Trump said. “We will forever be together. Our people will forever be bold. Our hearts will forever be loyal. And our children, and their children, will forever and always be free.”

( LINK BELOW )

https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/tr...l-speech-ever/
 
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dwreck27 said:
I was talking more about how we have arrived at generations where we need safe spaces etc...

The baby boomers lived in a fairy tale time that was one of the best in human history to this point
Click to expand...

Not sure what fairy tale you are thinking about. We live and dealt with the unfinished business of WWII. Spent our lives under the threat of nuclear destruction, fighting and winning the Cold War against USSR. While part of the cause of the social and political unrest since the 60’s, living though all of it was hardly an joy ride. Those of us who saw Nam, knew betrayal that our fathers never had to.

Our parents defeated the National Socialists, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan with resounding bravery and elan which makes them worthy of the title, The Greatest Generation. They saved the world. We freed it from fear of the monster that effort left behind, USSR. The challenge of the next will be surviving and defeating China and the continued menance of radical Islam. That should suffice to provide the youngsters a chance for glory also.

Today is one that screams to the world, that WE are the greatest nation ever. The unselfish good we have done is far more than the bad we have at time inflicted. We counquered all, set them free and then protected them ever since. D Day is a singular event that shows our worth. Those young Americans, Brits and Canadians face evil and kicked its ***.
 
Gatorhater said:
Not sure what fairy tale you are thinking about. We live and dealt with the unfinished business of WWII. Spent our lives under the threat of nuclear destruction, fighting and winning the Cold War against USSR. While part of the cause of the social and political unrest since the 60’s, living though all of it was hardly an joy ride. Those of us who saw Nam, knew betrayal that our fathers never had to.

Our parents defeated the National Socialists, Fascist Italy and Imperial Japan with resounding bravery and elan which makes them worthy of the title, The Greatest Generation. They saved the world. We freed it from fear of the monster that effort left behind, USSR. The challenge of the next will be surviving and defeating China and the continued menance of radical Islam. That should suffice to provide the youngsters a chance for glory also.

Today is one that screams to the world, that WE are the greatest nation ever. The unselfish good we have done is far more than the bad we have at time inflicted. We counquered all, set them free and then protected them ever since. D Day is a singular event that shows our worth. Those young Americans, Brits and Canadians face evil and kicked its ***.
Click to expand...
 
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I'm a Vietnam Vet, combat infantry, 11 months in the jungle. I had the pleasure of visiting both Omaha and Utah beaches 3 years ago. As tough as I was then, I can't even imagine how much courage it took to take those beaches. Absolutely the greatest generation.
 
QuatroCane said:
Trump Shines on D-Day: ‘Most Powerful’ Speech Ever
https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/wp...ormandy.jpgJPG

When MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough is praising Donald Trump, you can be certain the president did something right.
Thursday morning, Scarborough swooned over Trump’s speech honoring the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, during World War II.

On his show, “Morning Joe,” Scarborough said Trump’s words are “the most powerful he’s given as a president of the United States, from certainly the most moving setting.”

And the praise didn’t stop there. Even CNN’s Jim Acosta admitted that the speech was the “most on-message moment” of Trump’s presidency. He “rose to the moment,” Acosta said.

Trump’s words were indeed inspiring.

via @YouTube

He began by recognizing the unprecedented bravery and sacrifice of so many on June 6, 1944.

“We are gathered here on freedom’s altar,” Trump said. “On these shores, on these bluffs, on this day 75 years ago, 10,000 men shed their blood, and thousands sacrificed their lives, for their brothers, for their countries, and for the survival of liberty. Today, we remember those who fell, and we honor all who fought right here in Normandy. They won back this ground for civilization.”
Trump then paid special respects to those survivors who were present at his speech. “To more than 170 veterans of the Second World War who join us today: You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live,” Trump said. “You’re the pride of our nation. You are the glory of our republic. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Here with you are over 60 veterans who landed on D-Day. Our debt to you is everlasting. Today, we express our undying gratitude.”

In one of the most compelling moments of his speech, Trump told the story of that morning with respectful yet passionate sentiment.

“On the 6th of June 1944, they joined a liberation force of awesome power and breathtaking scale,” Trump said. “After months of planning, the Allies had chosen this ancient coastline to mount their campaign to vanquish the wicked tyranny of the **** empire from the face of the Earth.”

“The battle began in the skies above us. In those first tense midnight hours, 1,000 aircraft roared overhead with 17,000 Allied airborne troops preparing to leap into the darkness beyond these trees.

“Then came dawn. The enemy who had occupied these heights saw the largest naval armada in the history of the world. Just a few miles offshore were 7,000 vessels bearing 130,000 warriors. They were the citizens of free and independent nations, united by their duty to their compatriots and to millions yet unborn.”
Trump humbly acknowledged other nations’ sacrifice — he specifically thanked the British, Canadians and the Poles.

But he saved the best for last.

“And, finally, there were the Americans,” Trump said. “They came from the farms of a vast heartland, the streets of glowing cities, and the forges of mighty industrial towns. Before the war, many had never ventured beyond their own community. Now they had come to offer their lives half a world from home.”
The president spoke of individual stories from that day. He told the audience of Ray Lambert, winner of four Purple Hearts and an attender at Trump’s speech.

Trump spoke of the heroism of Capt. Joe Dawson, Col. George Taylor and Private First Class Russell Pickett.

“These men ran through the fires of **** moved by a force no weapon could destroy: The fierce patriotism of a free, proud and sovereign people,” Trump said.

“They battled not for control and domination, but for liberty, democracy, and self-rule. They pressed on for love in home and country — the Main Streets, the schoolyards, the churches and neighbors, the families and communities that gave us men such as these. They were sustained by the confidence that America can do anything because we are a noble nation, with a virtuous people, praying to a righteous God.”
Trump’s words included a powerful observation: “The blood that they spilled, the tears that they shed, the lives that they gave, the sacrifice that they made, did not just win a battle. It did not just win a war. Those who fought here won a future for our nation. They won the survival of our civilization. And they showed us the way to love, cherish, and defend our way of life for many centuries to come.”

As he concluded, the president made a promise.

“Today, as we stand together upon this sacred Earth, we pledge that our nations will forever be strong and united,” Trump said. “We will forever be together. Our people will forever be bold. Our hearts will forever be loyal. And our children, and their children, will forever and always be free.”

( LINK BELOW )

https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/tr...l-speech-ever/
Click to expand...

A truly GREAT speech! Thank you for the overview QuatroCane, and thank you Mr. President! We are eternally grateful to the fearless, courageous and valiant HEROES of the GREATEST GENERATION.
 
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