This evening I was viewing Saving Private Ryan movie clips on Youtube. The opening and closing cemetery scenes. The carnage on Omaha beach. The sniper duel scene. The final battle. Captain Miller's death scene. Then it hit me. Today is 4th June 2017. Two days away from the historic 6th June. I wasn't even conscious of this when I started searching for Saving Private Ryan on Youtube two hours ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnwDNkOW6Oc
D-Day 2016 Anniversary Normandy France
On this day, 73 years ago, Royal Air Force meteorologist Group Captain James Stagg (http://www.history.com/news/the-weather-forecast-that-saved-d-day) recommended that Overlord be postponed one day from June 5 to the 6th because of bad weather. Dwight D. Eisenhower followed his advice and postponed D-Day by 24 hours. Two days later, 73 years ago, Operation Overlord was launched on 6th June 1944. Over 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or went missing during the Battle of Normandy. The rest is history.
Howard Polin D-Day
From: http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2017/06/d-day_anniversary_alabama_airm.html
Polin was a meteorologist attached to the 352nd Fighter Group that provided air support to the D-Day invasion.
(http://www.moodurian.com/tornado/images/howardpolindday1.jpg)
Polin standing next to a P-51D Mustang.
(http://www.moodurian.com/tornado/images/howardpolindday2.jpg)
Polin's war room.
(http://www.moodurian.com/tornado/images/howardpolindday3.jpg)
What a loving couple.
People like these are national treasures.