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What a day.  My neighbor parachuted into France during the night, as well as into Holland during MarketGarden (I think), and maybe Italy.  I always make sure I'm extra courteous to him, when I see him.  make the beast with two backsing heroes, those guys are.  Hundreds, maybe thousands, of WWII vets are dying each day.

I'm sure it's not 100 accurate.... but if you ever get the chance.... watch "the longest day"

i had forgotten ... thanks for the reminder.  my grandfather was one of that generation.

great depression / WWII / Korea ... he experienced and overcame hardship that i can't even imagine.

i've always wondered how I / we would have responded in those situations.

I own it, baby. [thumbsup]  I also own the book, which the movie is based on.  It's a fairly accurate representation, as I recall.

If you ever get a chance, go see the beaches at Normandy and the American and German cemeteries nearby.  It all has a very particular feeling there, and the terrain by the beach is all grass but has mounds and craters.

If anybody ever has the chance visit the U.S. Marine Museum at Quantico. They have a mock boat like the one pictured with a video and incredible sound effects that simulate the storm of Normandy. I served in the Navy but can't even imagine what it was like to be part of this intial wave of incredibly brave men. They should all be truly recognized as heros.

The Greatest Generation. A term well earned in my book.
I used to work in a nursing home while i was going to collage. We had some WWII vets there. I would make time during my lunch hour to spend time with them. We would sit and just BS and crack jokes. They liked that. These guys had some great stories with very viable insights to life in general. I think they taught me more then what collage did during the years spent there. Real life heroes  [thumbsup]

I've been there. It's pretty amazing. there is definitely a "feeling" there.

+ 1 million!!  I had the luxury and honor to make it to the beaches of Normandy on several occasions when I was posted in Europe.  The first time I went there was simply amazing!  A friend and myself drove overnight from Paris (we slept for a few hours in a lay-by) and got there just before dawn.  We made our way down the coast hitting each one of the beaches that took part in the invasion.  The sun was just starting to come up when we got to Sword and I had goose bumps all over my skin.  There was a heavy fog over the water and several of the local farmers were out working their fields in their tractors.  The fog masked the direction of the sound and you could almost believe it was the sound of the landing boats making their way onto shore. 

I also had the honor of being there for a few promotions, one of my own (June 6th, 2006) included.  The locals there are simply amazing!  You always hear stories of how the French hate Americans, but you definitely do not see that sentiment there!!  We had elderly Frenchmen coming up to us with tears in their eyes any time we were there in our uniforms.  We would usually be invited in to any cafe, and sometimes peoples homes, for a coffee or cake as well.  The time I spent traveling around and seeing the sights of these momentous occasions, and meeting the people that took part in them, is something that I will cherish up to my grave.

The greatest people of that time, thanx for the reminder

My uncle, 82nd airborne, was one of few chosen to participate in the reenactment jump in 1994. The pictures are amazing.

If you ever want to have your heart wrenched, give the latest Ken Burns film a watch. It's called 'The War,' and is absolutely incredible.
http://www.pbs.org/thewar/

Thank you for the reminder.  I sent my flag at half staff.

Hung out at my grandpa's house Friday night and watched some episodes of Band of Brothers.

He was an armored cav scout (C Troop, 113th Cavalry) that started in the cav when they were still riding horses. It has taken this long for him to be open to telling war stories. He walked away with 3 purple hearts, 2 bronze stars, and a silver star...and a Luger from a crispy fried flame broiled German SS officer...  [beer]

Any distinguishing markings?  Some had swastikas on the grips.

i don't think making light of some soldiers agony, even if they were on the other side, is appropriate.
was the war necessary?  absolutely.  did the vast majority of soldiers on the other side have any
choice in the matter?  nope.

If he was SS then yeah the choice was his -  not only that but he survived hell to become an SS trooper.  As an SS officer the likelihood that the captured luger has a dubious past with regards to civilians, pows, etc is great as well.  Not all enemies are honorable nor are all deaths.