In case anyone was unaware today is the 69th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy by Allied troops and the biggest step towards defeating Nazi Germany. Yes I know you know but some of us wont. Spare a thought. If anyone has seen the opening scenes of "Saving Private Ryan" I believe this gives some insight into the conditions experienced and the horrors of war!
I was watching a docu about the tanks and the engineering of back then, real sobering thought and makes you feel very grateful for what our for fathers did and sacrificed for us!
The Independent are running a campaign to interview the remaining survivors http://www.independent.co.uk/voices...he-normandy-campaign-69-years-on-8646422.html
Those opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan are probably the closest most people will ever get to combat. I saw it on the day of release in the USA with my uncle who had been flying air cover above the Normandy beaches with the USAF. As an side note my Uncle Tim had been in the US airforce pre-war, in 1939 he resigned his commission, went to Canada & enlisted in the RCAF. Then he was transfered to the RAF & flew Hurricanes & Spires during the Battle of Britain in Eagle Squadron. He was transferred back to USAF after Pearl Harbor & ended up flying in both Korea & Vietnam.
I saw it in Leicester Square - a group of veterans were in the cinema all dressed up, wearing medals, berets etc. Quite a few left the cinema during that opening sequence, they were visibly shaken.
Ditto, it was with The American Legion I saw it, they even had counsellors there if the veterans needed to talk to them.
Your post is sooo weird ,Dicky! (sort 0f) I thought of my father earlier today, I swear I dunno why (he departed a few years ago) he was a army/war dude,i was musing on when I asked him about the conflict (he never said anything unless asked) he told me ,in wartime ,a soldier was given 6 weeks leave a year? like holiday time ? I asked wot he did ,he said he returned home (to Glasgow), it took 2 weeks travel each way so 6 weeks =2 weeks home >I said "you done all that travelling to come back to Glasgow ,are you nuts ? he replied "you would have to have been nuts to stay"(in warzone) <<me, naïve , ! that film clip someone mentioned <P.Ryan>ffs! I was ill when I saw that .if they taught history in schools,properly.......?.note;my father was one of millions who served, I asked why he signed up ,he said "that is what you did"it was expected of you.
the men in my family all seem to have missed the second world war my dad is to young and his dad was in the RNLI during the war so the only action he saw was pulling air men out of the north sea and playing hide a seek with u boats in sand bars my wifes dad was a young boy living in Holland, his main memory was the stamping of marching boot and running home quick my other granddad was to young and joint up just after the war to serve as a driver in the RAF i have to go back to my great granddad who although was a farmer ( reserved occupation ) joined the home guard
