06 Jun 05
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61 years ago today, on 6 June 1944, the Allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied France at Normandy, beginning a long and costly (most importantly, in terms of lives) campaign to free Nazi-occupied Europe. It could not have been accomplished without the troops and equipment of the USA, and without the input of the US, Europe most likely would today be under Nazi or Stalinist USSR control. Remember that, those of you inclined the criticise the US at every turn, particularly those who live in Europe. Thanks in part to the sacrifice of those who gaves their lives in that campaign, Europe - and Germany itself - are today free and prosperous.
06 Jun 05
Originally posted by Hand of HecateThe terms D-day and H-hour are used for the day and hour on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. They designate the day and hour of the operation when the day and hour have not yet been determined, or where secrecy is essential. The letters are derived from the words for which they stand, "D" for the day of the invasion and "H" for the hour operations actually begin. There is but one D-day and one H-hour for all units participating in a given operation. It is unnecessary to state that H-hour is on D-day.
We should all be thankful for the sacrifices made by the allied forces. It is sad though that we have yet to learn our lesson and still fight wars, still commit attrocities and still are surprised by man's inhumanity to man.
Stupid question... what did the D in D-Day stand for.
D-Day (short for Decimal or Decimalization Day) was also used in Britain in 1971 to denote the day on which the British currency was decimalized
06 Jun 05
Originally posted by villa68true, but it's my contention that if the USSR had 'liberated' Europe without the aid of the Western allies - mainly the USA - then Europe today would most likely be under USSR control - and given that Stalin killed a lot more people than Hitler - this would not have been an improvement over being under Nazi occupation. the occupiers would be different but Europe would not be free.
D-day was realy big and important but it needs to be remembered that it was russia who defeated the most amount of germans by a sizable number
06 Jun 05
Originally posted by dfm65Agreed, but I don't know what bearing this has on current criticism of US policy, since nobody in government at the moment was involved in the liberation of Europe.
61 years ago today, on 6 June 1944, the Allied forces invaded Nazi-occupied France at Normandy, beginning a long and costly (most importantly, in terms of lives) campaign to free Nazi-occupied Europe. It could not have been accomplished without the troops and equipment of the USA, and without the input of the US, Europe most likely would today be under Nazi or ...[text shortened]... gaves their lives in that campaign, Europe - and Germany itself - are today free and prosperous.
People under the age of ~80 who say 'Oh yeah, you silly frog, you'd be speaking German if not for us' or similar are being stupid (not suggesting you are one of those people; some people in the debates forum come to mind though).
06 Jun 05
1 edit
Originally posted by royalchickeni iknew someone would bring this up, and i'm glad you did rc, since we do want to be able to criticise current US policy.
Agreed, but I don't know what bearing this has on current criticism of US policy, since nobody in government at the moment was involved in the liberation of Europe.
People under the age of ~80 who say 'Oh yeah, you silly frog, you ...[text shortened]... e people; some people in the debates forum come to mind though).
it's like this IMHO: we should be careful to distinguish the current US administration - headed by Bush Jr, perhaps the worst-ever US president - from the USA as an enduring entity. This entity is defined in part by its constitution - that supports the enduring nature - and by the laws and decisions made within the framework of that constitution - that supports the transient part, the administration of the day.
so, it's not inconsistent to acknowledge the debt to the enduring USA, incurred 61 years ago today, and to criticise the policies of the current administration.
the point is this: much of the criticism directed at the US should in fairness be directed at the Bush administration. Bush has a few years left - the USA will endure, guided by its constitution which supports a variey of freedoms - liberty, freedom of speech, the right to assembly, pursuit of happiness and so on.
06 Jun 05
Originally posted by dfm65These ideals are great. Of course as is often the case the implimentation is far from anything resembling the original intent.
The USA will endure, guided by its constitution which supports a variey of freedoms - liberty, freedom of speech, the right to assembly, pursuit of happiness and so on.