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D-Day Marks its 67th Anniversary

France DDay Anniversary
Associated Press
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Associated Press

D-Day marks its 67th anniversary today and its impact is still felt around the world. We remember the courage and the commitment of those who fought this game-changing battle in World War II.

The Normandy landings, also known as D-Day, were an operation by the allied forces that many feel changed the course of history. The operation was carefully planned out and executed by the Allied forces in an effort to change the tide of the war. The assault was executed both with airborne assault and amphibious landing. It’s known as the largest amphibious landing invasion in world history, with over 160,000 storming the beaches on June 6, 1944.

Today marks the 67th anniversary, and as a response millions of Americans look back and remember the valor and courage of all those who participated in this dynamic moment in history. They were everyday men who became American heroes.

According to an article by USA Today, Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees was among the proud veterans who participated in D-day. Yogi Berra was 19-years-old when he stormed the beaches of Normandy alongside his fellow troops. In an interview conducted in 1944 Berra remembered that morning stating, “It was thrilling, just like the 4th of July.” The young Berra would go onto become a pro baseball player, manager, and Hall of Famer after his service in World War II.

According to Reuters.com, today also marks 14th time Oklahoma will host a paintball tournament commemorating the D-day battle and invasion. The tournament is a weeklong event and begins today with a flag raising ceremony, a parade, military-style chapel services, and evening movie showings including “The Longest Day,” and “Patton.” The Allied forces, and both German and French opposition are represented in the paintball battle that will take place on June 11. The battle is marked out with many individual battles representing the real battles that occurred 67 years ago. They event is equipped with mock tanks and lots of pyrotechnics. Jack McNiece, 92, is a former D-Day paratrooper who has taken part in the games for the past two years. When asked about his participation in the event he stated “The Oklahoma D-Day Event keeps the history alive.”

Today we commemorate those who served in World War II, and remember the over 9,000 Allied soldiers that either died or were wounded during the D-day invasions.