Do you know what today is?

If you don't know what today is, then you're one of the examples I've talked about before, those people who have little knowledge of history and the significant events that have taken place before. Shame on you...

Today is the 65th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion that took place on June 6, 1944, which is, in my humble opinion, one of the single most significant events that have ever taken place in world history. It was the largest amphibious landing to ever take place, and it marked the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany, the Third Reich, and its insane leader, Adolf Hitler. It is estimated that nearly 9,000 American soldiers became casualties on that day, with approximately 1,500 of them being killed. For many of them, the first picture in this post is the last thing on this earth they ever saw.

Think about it: put yourself in one of those landing crafts, approaching a beach that is heavily occupied and defended by well-trained, well-prepared, and well-armed soldiers...when the ramp drops it's like dropping the ramp on a shooting gallery, and you're the target. Every enemy gun within eyesight is going to be shooting at that one spot - the open ramp doorway - which means they're going to be shooting at YOU. With machine guns. LOTS of machine guns.

If you can get off the landing craft and onto the beach you're one of the lucky ones, and if you can get off the beach you're one of the really lucky ones.

If you want to get a really, really, REALLY accurate idea of just what it was like to be coming ashore from one of those landing crafts, then I highly suggest you watch the first 40 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan." And make sure that you either rent the DVD or watch the unedited, "not safe for TV" version that TNT or TCM shows. That shows ALL of the movie, with all of the blood, gore, horror, and heroics of that day.

I guarantee you that you'll have a much greater appreciation for what those members of "The Greatest Generation" went through, and you'll understand why they're called that.

If you have a WWII vet living in your area, go find him or her today and thank them for what they did. If there's a VA home in your town, go visit a WWII vet there and thank him for what he did.

All they did was save the world, you know.

To all of the World War II vets who may be reading this, and even if you're not - thank you. The world will forever be in your debt. You are, truly, "The Greatest Generation."

IHC