71 Years Later D-Day Sun Has Not Set

Today is the 71st anniversary of D-Day, Operation Overlord--the greatest armada of men and ships and equipment ever seen in the history of warfare and will never been seen again. A dicey role of the dice against the weather gods and Hitler's Festung Europa, the Atlantic Wall. A lot of incredible bravery on Omaha and from the air and some luck in that Rommel was visiting his wife and Hitler would not be awoken from a deep sedated sleep to release the panzers from his personal command to push the allies back into the sea. Had D-Day failed the Germans would have been able to transfer large numbers of armor and men to the Eastern Front to either defeat them or more likely ultimately lose and have the Russians roll on past Berlin, past Paris to come to rest on the shores of the Atlantic.
My thoughts on D-Day with a sense of appreciation to the scions of those vets of WWII  and all others in uniform who are serving in uniform against the evil of radical Islam.

                                                     D-DAY SUN HAS NOT SET

It has been 71 years since on a spring June day the Channel was once again breached

Both from the air in morning night and by thousands on heaving Higgins seeking five beaches

Not a mere raid with more Canadian bodies washed into the tide or prisoners to leave in bloody retreat

But five divisions to land at the Atlantic Wall as a final step toward Hitler’s defeat

Our few surviving warriors are today in the last days of winter’s relentless, coming grip

Thick glasses, artificial joints, wheel chairs, the lucky ones with canes walking slowly to not fall or slip

The horror of all horrors to assault a well defended, waiting beach

Not knowing whether this would be the morning that the evening you would not reach

For over four years the Germans had the time to a deadly welcome prepare

Hundreds of pillboxes, a host of 88’s and “buzz saws” to hurl against khakis bare

Mines by the millions to rip the Higgins and gliders apart

Green seasick faces now climbing down the nets to depart

When the dust had cleared and fighting ended late, late at night

Almost 5,000 young men were laid low by the Dark Boatman’s fatal bite.

Never again no matter what is mankind’s military course

Will we ever see such a gathering of men and armada force

But heroes we will as a nation continue to breed!

Forces of terror should listen and so take heed!

The genes that climbed the Pointe du Hoc’s vertical cliffs

Or Dutch Cota armed with an unlit cigar giving his troops a lift

Or the All Americans landing in Ste. Mere Eglise spires

Or the destroyers almost ashore point blank at the pill boxes to fire

Still run deep in the generations from those warriors of June 6, 1944

Joined now by women and all with courage and brains to settle any score

We have been blessed with the warriors and heroes of that day

The forces of evil in Europe finally stopped and held at bay

More so today we are still blessed that their spirits still live

In the hearts of those in uniform today a final sacrifice prepared to give

The forces of evil like the locusts have once again on grains of life appeared

Beheading, killing women, children and Christians, burning innocents alive to spread terror and fear

The Sun on the British Empire may after many years now daily sets

But on those American forces against radical Islam’s evil terrors, the shadows are nowhere near yet.    

                                                                            © June 6, 2011

                                                       Michael P. Ridley aka The Alaskanpoet