Congress Pay Tribute The Greatest Generation Full Version

i am dorothea founder of the normally institute here on the hallowed ground of the battle of normandy i'm honored to present the d-day 77 tribute film personal stories from members of congress my own parents lives were formed by their experience in world war ii my father in a japanese concentration camp and my mother in nazi occupied holland where famine raged in that last brutal winter the united states and its allies threw a miracle of inventiveness science technology and sheer determination became an unstoppable force world war ii still serves as one of our deepest reservoirs of knowledge and experience the great american capital stood proud in the fall of war and inspired mankind to prevail at all cost the fate of humanity hung in the balance we thank members of congress past and present for their tribute to the greatest [Music] generation [Music] there on the beaches of normandy i began to reflect on the greatness of the generation that first had their lives marked by the great depression when everything was about sacrifice when everyone had to work together just to get through life including my parents and then world war ii and how they responded to the greatest war in the history of mankind and did nothing less than save the world dear senator schumer dear senators and representatives i am honored to welcome you to this tribute film to commemorate the 77th anniversary of dd we the french people we always remember the courage of the american soldiers sellers and airmen of the allied forces who fought for our freedom and lost their life by thousands and thousands your personal stories illustrates perfectly white world world 2 matters this is also my story as a norman boy as a norman boy born just after the war when i was a child i cannot forget the image of i was heavily damaged my proper house by shelling and battles in my tone flair today our countries are still strong alerts it's hard to believe that nearly 77 years have passed since d-day d-day was the day that changed the world [Music] because of american british and other allies efforts it cost american dearly in the lives of our loved ones who never return d-day is a very special day i hope we take a minute all of us to think about it and say god bless those who made the sacrifice thank you my dad now 97 was born on flag day june 14th and that was appropriate because he fought in world war ii he fought in the burma theater he fought for the army air corps there was no air force there and he was one of the first to be given top secret clearance and learned radar and as the airplanes flew over the himalaya mountains in burma radar protected them because the plant mountains were shrouded in clouds and radar saw through it and did it he was never wounded thank god he came back and now he's 97 proud veteran of world war ii born on flag day for me this is personal my mom and her parents were polish jews who survived the holocaust when the nazis invaded they were forced to separate my mom was sent to a village to live with a nurse my grandmother lived as a catholic in a convent and my grandfather hid in the cellar of a polish candy maker my mom was told her parents were dead and only discovered they were alive when they came to find her after the war they'd lost everything except each other looking back i shudder to think how many more lives we would have lost to hitler's evil if not for a generation of americans willing to step forward to face that evil to fight it and ultimately to overcome it their sacrifices at normandy set in motion not only victory in europe but also decades of deep partnership across the atlantic in 1944 my father joined the army and shipped off for europe in the spring of 45 alongside allied forces that had been fighting since normandy he withstood brutal and desperate german resistance on a single night his company lost two-thirds of its men but by ve day my dad and his comrades had pushed across the rhine and all the way to czechoslovakia back home my mom and i only knew that because the letter he wrote us that day was the first time he'd been allowed to include his location dad returned as a member of the greatest generation the servicemen nurses factory workers and home front supporters who united the free world changed the course of history and then came back to build communities raised families and serve in other ways he was even preparing for a redeployment to the pacific until president truman finished the fight my dad is my world war ii hero our nation was blessed by millions of heroes like him and we will honor their memory forever when i think of world war ii i think in particular one of the many heroes who served former u.s senator paul douglas i was a college student at georgetown university here in washington the son of an immigrant from east st louis when paul douglas that great senator from my home state of illinois decided to hire me as a college intern in the senate dr martin luther king called him one of the greatest of all senators but prior to his time in the senate paul douglas joined many other americans in enlisting and to serve in world war ii he was enlistment was a little different than most for one thing he resigned from a comfortable chicago city council job to enlist he was raised as a quaker and was entering the military and he was 50 years old he was the oldest person to ever pass maureen's basic training military leaders wanted to find him a safe desk job at the pentagon in washington that paul douglas insisted on being sent into combat he served from 1942-45 he was wounded in one of the bloodiest battles of world war ii the battle of palu and the battle of okinawa ultimately earned him two purple hearts and a bronze star it was okinawa that a machine gun tore through his left arm he was never able to use that arm again it used to swing by his side he called it his paperweight he refused to accept a va disability check because he said he could do the work of a senator with one arm behind his back and he did paul douglas showed me that a true patriot never says i've done enough for american for freedom it's somebody else's job my dad harold thune was a navy fighter pilot who flew hellcats off the uss intrepid during world war ii he flew over 50 combat missions and went on to receive the distinguished flying cross my dad rarely talked about his achievements in fact without my mom i'm not sure i'd ever have known about my dad's record in world war ii as a member of the greatest generation he shared the qualities that so many of the allied cause exhibited determination humility patriotism and quiet service this is the 77th commemoration of the landing at d-day and it's a day when all of us remember the sacrifices made during world war ii as a as a young boy at the time i remember having family members who served in that war and it was a war that brought the united states together together along with our allies in the world in order to defeat evil and to protect our freedoms it was the greatest generation because it was the greatest possible mission we could all undertake in order to save the world in 1945 my father was a 37 year old attorney with the justice department he was asked by justice robert jackson to join him at the nuremberg trials my father became the executive trial counsel to robert jackson and he spent the next 17 months at nuremberg assisting in that effort he wrote my mother almost every single day from nuremberg i want to share with you some words he sent to my mother on june of 1946 this trial is of such great importance to everyone and some say it will be recognized as a great landmark in the struggle of mankind for peace i will never do anything as worthwhile again nothing will ever be really as important as the nurnberg trials to me someday he said i hope the boys will point to it and be proud of what we have done here inspired by it perhaps they will be at the bar themselves and perhaps they will invoke the law and precedent that we make here but i want you to know that i have been inspired by my father and he was right about the influence and importance of nuremberg and so today 75 years later we need to remember how important the rule of law is how fat important facts are how important the truth is so my father's generation not only fought and won a great war but at the end of that war they invoked the rule of law and nuremberg set a precedent that would guide us for the years to come my dad charles hagel was in the world war ii south pacific theater of combat for over two and a half years i learned so much of that from my uncles and my dad growing up uh they didn't talk specifically about any of their heroics in world war ii but uh what world war ii meant to them and has since meant to me even deeper uh it was an opportunity for the world to start over we had just seen the worst 50 years of a century in the history of mankind the slaughter the death the destruction and these men and women who served in world war ii dedicated themselves to making a better world they were the quiet heroes of our time my uncle manzo uncle nobi and uncle etz all served in the 442nd infantry regiment and looking back now it's poignant to think about what it would mean to serve in a segregated fighting unit especially one that would see tremendous action to some of their white counterparts the men of the 442nd might have even been thought about as cannon fodder or expendable but imagine the situation my great uncles and their comrades were in their families were placed in internment camps by a country where people who looked like them were hated by their neighbors but yet they still stood up and fought for the united states despite the challenges they were facing what this unit was able to accomplish was really quite remarkable when we talk about world war ii we need to talk about the stories that are often not told for my family the war was more than their experiences in the camps or fighting overseas for them the war years were also about the collective experience of an immigrant generation who persevered and had a determination to continue on long after the war had ended the nisei had a motto gopher broke that motto represented the bet each of them made that america could live up to its ideals of freedom and equality for all as we commemorate the 77th anniversary of d-day we honor our veterans who fought in world war ii including the many african-american men and women who risked their lives to defend freedoms that were actively denied to them at home two units the tuskegee airmen and the 92nd infantry were instrumental in the success of normandy and the allied advance known as the buffalo soldiers the 92nd infantry was a segregated all-black military unit among them was my beloved late father lieutenant colonel garvin a tut these brave soldiers changed our world forever even in a time of segregation these african-american soldiers bravely fought alongside their white peers the men of the 92nd infantry including my loving father put their lives on the line to defend our nation overseas despite the ongoing oppression of segregation here at home to them we are forever thankful orbis scott jr my dad my hero adopted me when i was a toddler his story is the story of many in his generation he grew up during the great depression with almost nothing and answered the call to serve in the united states army during world war ii he really talked about his service but over the years i learned he was one of the few who did all four combat jumps with the 82nd reborn in sicily italy normandy and market garden he fought in the battle of the bulge and he parachuted into france ahead of the invasion of normandy where so many of his company died committed to the fight against the tyranny of evil i love my dad and was always proud of him we didn't have much and my parents struggled for work but world war ii was a time he felt important he did what he could for his country his service reminds me freedom is fleeting and worth fighting for it is because of him and all those who serve that we our children and our grandchildren get to live the american dream i think that it is so important for us to occasionally set us our time to say thanks to those men and women that gave so much uh in preserving uh the victory uh that was ours in world war ii i often think about my wife's uh uncle my late wife's late uncle uh joseph henry of washington who was on the uss arizona on that fateful day at pearl harbor but hopefully we will do what is necessary to make sure that all of those who returned home after that war and never got properly thanked or not forgotten among all of our festivities i'm standing in arlington national cemetery this is the grave of my grandfather luther sexton fortenberry he was killed in normandy france in november of 1944. the privilege though that i've had to visit normandy to be a part of d-day celebrations to work with the normandy institute thank you normandy institute for your continued emphasis to keep alive the treasured memories of world war ii the nobility of the sacrifice that was given by so many americans and the need for us to continue to develop a deepening sense of trust and an architecture for the 21st century a stability that protects human rights creates the opportunity so that human life can flourish so that we may never have to face this again the meaning for d-day to me is as a relative of an uncle who fought in world war ii but i see d-day really through the eyes of the son of an immigrant who came this country to escape persecution in germany the evil of nazism the son of a man who came with a little more than the shirt on his back with no real knowledge of english or no one here whom he knew what i see in those pictures of their bravery and the stories of their heroism is the fight against that evil that would have killed him all of my family and in some sense the knowledge that their sacrifice has made possible the survival of our democracy our way of life and in a very real personal sense my family and so i am immensely grateful to them as the son of a world war ii waste gunner on b-17s i didn't hear my dad talk much of his experiences during the war i wish i'd asked him more about that time in his life while growing up i understood that many people in my father's generation were deployed as part of world war ii these were ordinary people who truly were asked to do extraordinary things and they did so with courage and determination in order to appropriately honor the legacies of the brave individuals i remember from my childhood my neighbors sunday school teachers and store keepers in my hometown we need to share their stories and preserve their memories of the events of d-day and all throughout the war president roosevelt at the time offered a prayer to the young men who served our nation almighty god our sons pride of our nation this day have set upon a mighty endeavor a struggle to preserve our republic our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity my father served as a navigator on a b-24 during world war ii he lived a great american success story but so many success stories of my father and of so many families in our country and in our world could not have existed were not for the great success of normandy never before achieved of so many working together for a common purpose think of the success that we've achieved in our world since that time because of the institutions that were created that came out of normandy itself all the international organizations from nato to the un to so many other organizations could not have happened were it not for the cooperation that was learned leading up to the battle of normandy and like a lot of folks with family members that served in world war ii i get to thinking about my dad he served as a b-17 pilot flying in the 303rd bomb group in the eighth air force stationed in molesworth england they were known as the hell's angels on his 26th mission his plane was hit several times by enemy fire he and the rest of the crew bailed out at 20 000 feet and they were captured near the french border and sent to stalag 13d a pow camp in nuremberg and what can only be described as awful conditions after several months he was liberated by general patton's army and he came home to texas where he met my mom in corpus christi and got married even with all he went through and liked so many of his generation my dad didn't talk much about it during his lifetime but his story ultimately was a happy one thank you for allowing me to join you today as we remember the sacrifices made by my dad and people like him thank you both my my dad retired the navy chief and my uncle bob they both served in the united states proudly in world war ii my uncle bob died in 1944 at the age of 19 during a kamikaze attack in the western pacific on his aircraft carried the uss sawani sadly i never had a chance to meet him but long after his death his memory continued to live on within our family for more uh than half a century i framed black and white photograph with him and his dress blues newly minted e4 set on a table in my grandparents dead dining room where our family gathered for meals together including those years when i came home only was a naval flight officer during the vietnam war we must never forget the sacrifices made by heroes like my uncles and my dad to protect the freedoms we hold so dearly i was privileged to attend the ceremony held in normandy to commemorate the 75th anniversary of d-day one of the brave soldiers at that ceremony was charles shea an elder of maine's penobscot tribe he was a medic at the time who repeatedly risked his life to rescue wounded soldiers from the water among them was my own father don collins in november of 1943 he enlisted in the u.s army reserve corps he later saw action in europe and fought at the battle of the bulge where he was wounded twice he earned the combat infantry badge two purple hearts and the bronze star as a nation all americans are proud of the brave souls who stormed the beach 77 years ago today d-day was the pivot that turned the tide of the war and it is sometimes hard to comprehend the enormous sacrifice and courage of these very young men who threw themselves at death's door michelle de montaigne once said valor is stability not of legs and arms but of courage and the soul the sacrifices made by our soldiers on that day and of their families and loved ones is a story of valor of being steadfast in the face of adversity and for that we salute them may we all take a moment to honor the brave service members who answer the call to defend our country and fight for the ideals it was founded on life liberty and the pursuit of happiness fred wicker grew up in rural mississippi during the depths of the great depression at fort jackson he applied unsuccessfully for the cadets pilot training program this placed him in the army air corps the predecessor to today's air force where both my son and i have served on july 10 a few weeks after d-day he arrived across the channel to normandy after the breakout private first class wicker moved on to paris serving subsequently in belgium holland luxembourg and germany earning four battle stars he was in castle germany when his unit heard about the german surrender they fired their weapons in the air in celebration he keeps an m1 garand with him at home to this day at age 97. at the d-day event in 2007 fred wicker was back at omaha beach as an honored guest this time with his two grandsons the memories of my father who was a world war ii marine corps dive bomber pilot and he flew a great many missions he earned i think 17 air medals and two distinguished flying crosses he served two tours he had a brother killed flying navy fighters off a carrier in the philippines shot down over the philippines the war was very very real to him and he put an enormous amount into all of those missions and he hadn't even graduated from college it's remarkable what we ask those boys to do it's remarkable how well they performed at what they were asked to do and there's a very good reason that we call that the greatest generation on a personal basis my dad was a marine on iwo jima and i grew up hearing stories of the flag raising on mount sarbachi and the enormous combat that went on in taking that island it's terribly important that we remember my dad and so many other uh dads and moms and others who sacrificed so much to preserve the freedom not only for america but for our whole world thank you for your service and thank you for reminding us of the sacrifices from those of the greatest generation on the 77th anniversary of d-day we paused to remember thousands of americans and allied forces who fought to defend our liberty america showed the world that day the kind of sacrifices our service members were willing to make for our freedoms i first learned respect and value of their sacrifice from montana's veterans it was the spring of 1969 that my grade school bus driver a world war ii veteran and devoted member of the vfw in my hometown of big sandy first asked me to play taps on my trumpet at a funeral for one of our nation's heroes playing taps for these veterans was my first call to public service a small yet important part i could play in a much bigger story on the anniversary of d-day let us recommit ourselves to the shared democratic values fought for by our greatest generation may their legacy be honored today and every day when pearl harbor was bombed by the japanese on december the 7th 1941 i was in the second grade i remember listening on the radio as my family got the news that sunday although i was a young child my friends and i all wanted to help and collected anything made of rubber rags paper and scrap iron for the war effort at school we were told we could buy war stamps i saved my money and ended up with a book of war stamps i remember that if you filled up the whole page with stamps you would have a small war bond i had family was that was in the war plenty of cousins and two uncles but that was not unique everyone had family members sent over even though i was only seven years old i remember feeling great pride in being an american and supporting the war effort it's certainly not an exaggeration to say that the maelstrom of the second world war was a test for us but for the whole western world there's also a catalyst that focused our defining ideals the war touch each and every american family and every american community and our parents and our grandparents and our great-grandparents rose to this challenge their sacrifice their heroism their selflessness and their devotion to duty on the battlefront and on the home front have led us to properly call them the greatest generation i'll never forget walking among the crosses row on row it is such a moving experience and then coming across the grave marker of a fellow vermonter it brings a personal toll the war acronym close to home and i've had the opportunity to serve side by side with several senators of the greatest generation centers such as bob doe and daniel in no way so many americans have given really the last full major devotion to secure and defend our freedom may we americans always remember and honor our heroes as a child growing up in the 1950s world war ii was our frame of reference my parents met and got married during the war when my father was stationed out west he was drafted even before pearl harbor and served in the army field artillery although he used to joke that when his superiors found out he could type he spent most of the war in headquarters in ireland and england his younger brother a marine was not so lucky his plane was shot down over the south pacific and he was declared missing in action just three months before d-day that was the story of every american family service and sacrifice and thanks to the extraordinary courage and commitment of my father and uncle and so many other americans we avenged pearl harbor we rescued europe from the nazis and we saved our democracy for my generation and all those sins i am so grateful to that greatest generation who won world war ii i'm proud to be the son of a world war ii veteran and army infantry lieutenant and the grandson of a world war one army infantry lieutenant and i have always been inspired by the valor demonstrated by our troops on that fateful day d-day but what has also served as an inspiration to me was the special prayer that was recited by president franklin roosevelt on that day it was expected that fdr would give one of his speeches at the white house when the invasion took place as he did many times before usually called fireside chats from the white house but on the morning of d-day president roosevelt was moved to prayer instead that famous prayer has become known as the d-day prayer in leading the nation in prayer franklin roosevelt asked god to give strength both to those fighting in the war and to their families back home he asked for stoutness of heart against the sorrows to come in the war and he asked for faith in one another in our shared mission against evil it's a beautiful very powerful prayer and one that deserves to be remembered for generations to come for this reason i introduced legislation back in 2013 which directs the secretary of interior to install a privately funded plaque to be placed near the world war ii memorial on the national mall with the words of the d-day prayer to help interpret that incredible day and and franklin roosevelt's role with regard to his prayer as we commemorate the 77th anniversary of d-day this summer i hope those words of franklin roosevelt inspire you as they do me and as they did the people of the united states on that momentous day thank you for all you do thank you for helping commemorate and remember d-day and may god bless you and may god bless our troops today we honor the heroic veterans who took such brave actions on june 6 1944 the sacrifice bravery and courage of the soldiers who defended the ideals of freedom and justice will forever underscore the power of a collective higher purpose and will continue to bond our two countries i can't help but think about my great uncle artie who served in world war ii artie was a big figure in my childhood and the stories about him have stuck with me i remember hearing from family members about how during the war artie's feet got frostbite and how my great-grandmother made sure to take special care of his socks in the years to come like so many others who fought for our freedom during world war ii already suffered from scars we could see and from scars we couldn't see looking back at the stories of the men who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country in service to our cause in service to the world i'm left with an overwhelming sense of gratitude and all it was the same feeling that guided my decision to join the military some half a century after those brave men stormed the beaches called sword juno gold utah and omaha it was there in that icy water on those blood-soaked beaches and on the reagan cliffs the thousands of men of valor faced the hellfire of tyranny despotism and evil before embarking on their mission each one knew there was a good chance it would be their last many of those who survived felt called to live a life worthy of those who did not some of those men were blessed to come back 40 years later above the ragged cliffs at a lonely windswept point president ronald reagan honored the boys of point to hawk their surviving members of the 225 u.s army rangers who stormed the beaches scaled the cliffs took the objective and advanced the mission to capture normandy retake europe and end the war president reagan's poetic and powerful words about these men of bravery honor and valor led me in my own decision to join the military and serve our country in uniform when i think about world war ii i can't help but think of my own parents during the war my father served as a first lieutenant in the u.s army signal corps he was attached to eisenhower's command while in france he met a french woman named madeleine who lived through nazi-occupied france they fell in love married and moved to rochester michigan i grew up hearing about my parents experiences during the war and their story shaped the person that i am today this and the stories of so many others have helped shape and define my generation and generations to come we will never be able to repay the debt we owe to our greatest generation that is why this is indeed a solemn anniversary they were so young they were so brave they had such bright futures ahead of them families careers retirements happiness all of which they traded for us for our families for our lives for our freedom and happiness that is a debt that we can never fully repay [Music] my grandfather major deval meter served in the battle of the bulge and he made it through thanks to the sacrifices of those he served with there and those who died on the beaches of normandy till the day that he died he never talked about his own service always theirs that is a legacy i will never forget those that served in world war ii have a very special place in my heart and memory i'm the daughter of a world war ii veteran in november of 1944 my father staff sergeant archward was serving in germany when he was shot in the face and left for dead in a beat field for two days he lost most of his platoon but miraculously he made it out of germany alive for his actions on the battlefield he received the purple heart the bronze star combat infantry badge and the european theater of operations ribbons with three battle stars after this he went on to a very successful life to serve his home district in congress and was later the governor of west virginia three separate times plus he was a great dad and world war ii still matters today because of the courage and bravery displayed by those who served as well as their willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of the liberty and freedoms that we still have to this day we must always remember this sacrifice and pay the due respect and homage to those who were unable to make it home the pursuit of freedom around the world honors those who risked their lives to protect it we must never forget that i've also been very privileged here in the district to be able to have two individuals that i've known that participated at the normandy invasion one gentleman from van work county landed on u2 utah beach in the second wave and as he fought his way all the way through bastogne into germany another was a coast guardsman that ran the landing crafts up to the beaches on that day you think about the 5 000 ships that were assembled the largest assembly of ships in history to be able to do this the thousands of aircraft the planning that went into it the multi-nations general eisenhower is the commander but when you think about the heroism you come right down to that individual soldier and that sailor and that airmen that participated that day and we owe our freedom to them when i think about what they did and as they landed in france and you see the flags of the united states still flying in so many parts of france because they appreciate and honor those that liberated them so what we all have to do is always remember to say thank you to those who gave all that day my father malcolm mclean was a fighter pilot during world war ii and he was there flying over the beaches of normandy providing cover to the troops that were landing down below and for 73 missions that he flew across europe during world war ii before he was shot down in the battle of the bulge so it's a great honor he spent his final months of the war the last six months in a german prisoner camp he was a figure that was larger than life in our family and his service continues to inspire me every single day here in the us capitol there's a reason we call him the greatest generation when you think about an entire generation of people that in a very short time mobilized to go to war in areas most of them have never been to all to defend freedom in this country that includes my grandfather harry kinzinger who enlisted at the age of 25 from a farm in illinois to join the army air corps and there's no doubt he's had a profound impact on my life and he's my hero and so that's why i'm proud to carry on his tradition and legacy in the air force and also in congress so here's to the greatest generation and to my grandfather harry kinzinger i was privileged in 2019 on the 75th anniversary of d-day to go to normandy to be there and to recognize the significance of one of the most important days of the 20th century and indeed any century as far as i'm concerned what made that day especially memorable for me was having the opportunity to meet with and talk to charles shea of indian island man who was there that morning in the water being a medic eight o'clock in the morning omaha beach on d-day but what he did that day was so important to our country congratulations to all who are there uh congratulations to all who are in the celebration this year virtually or in person and thanks to those who did so much for all of us i called up my grandma who we just lost a couple years ago just 13 days shy of her 109th birthday and i asked her oma what should i say omar what what did the service of those who served during world war ii mean to you and she took a long pause and then she said tell them it means everything my grandma was a holocaust survivor who lost so much of her family during the war as i took that drive and i spoke to her she said we had nothing nothing to eat she said we had grass and leaves we had no freedom we had nothing and then when american and canadian soldiers came to liberate her town everything my grandma went on to become one of the proudest americans that i've ever known and she never forgot the service members who put their lives on the line so she could live her life and honestly i've always looked at america and our shared future for this country through the lens of welcoming those who seek a better life here the passenger manifest and remembering world war ii is a daily reminder to me that we must honor our past and work together toward a better future one where we overcome bigotry and indifference and embrace our common community those who served and sacrifice remind us of the best of us this man behind me that picture is of my father gerald heisinga who two days before christmas in 1944 was in a b-24 crash in in italy uh it changed his life was was something that was massively impactful in fact he ended up convalescing at percy jones hospital with daniel patrick in a uh and senator bob dole two two men that affected him even though they weren't close just something that was a lesson that i ended up learning from him about cooperating with people about figuring out how you have solutions that can come from others who you may or may not always agree with we have a little memorabilia from his time when he was in italy and the impact that it had i had an opportunity to go and visit the airfield in sharon yola with him and the rest of his bomb group and it has had a huge impact on who i am today so if he was here yet today i'd want to say thank you and give him a hug and i know he's be very proud of what we've been able to do here but thanks dad for everything that you did for me this day is very personal my father was able to safely flee the nazis in poland during the holocaust thanks in part to the efforts of the allied forces particularly those of the united states he came to this country and swore to serve it for more than 30 years he did that in the navy and when i came of age i too felt that i owed this country a debt and i served in the air force today we feel tragedy and hope tragedy at the loss of countless lives on that beach lives of people fighting on the right side of history hope for their fear and the sheer determination that would allow the allied forces eventually to win the war we often think of those who fought in world war ii as boys or young men but my grandfather also named john hoeven was in his late 30s almost 40 when he enlisted in the navy he was a dentist and a cattle rancher who left a wife and children at home to fight in world war ii he served on the uss san francisco one of the most decorated ships of world war ii the uss san francisco was heavily involved in the pacific theater and earn 17 battle stars it's difficult to imagine now the horrific challenges facing my grandfather and his generation they fought they sacrificed and many of them gave their lives to ensure that we and future generations could continue to live free this greatest generation inspires us to be better to work harder and to meet the challenges of our day with the same courage and determination in my case i'm the grandson of robert andrew after pearl harbor as so many young americans did he signed up to serve and was ultimately inducted into the army signal corps now my grandfather never stormed a beach or actually saw action in either the pacific or in europe but what he did was really really critical to saving the lives of so many of our servicemen and of course preserving the peace even today in the united states he was instrumental and worked very very hard in the development of radar so he was invited to come to cambridge massachusetts where a joint program of harvard university and the massachusetts institute of technology had a top secret program to develop radar and it was an enormously secret program so secret that if you talked about it just merely talking about the program you were working on was grounds for court martial and you have to think back on the fact that december 7th 1941 might not have been a successful japanese attack if we'd had reasonable or even advanced radar at the time like so many americans are a tremendous debt of gratitude not just to those who stormed the beaches but to those who worked so hard to give us the technological edge the industrial edge that allowed us to prevail over tyranny there are few more powerful reminders of the loss of war as well as the bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces than the beaches of normandy there's nothing like seeing the vast open and exposed terrain that our world war ii heroes crossed to make you begin to understand their bravery and determination in the face of impossible odds all to save freedom as the daughter of a world war ii veteran who fought in the battle of the bulge it was humbling to meet and personally thank veterans who fought for our country and for freedom just as my father did we owe all of those heroes a debt of gratitude that we can never repay but we must always work to make our country worthy of their sacrifice and strive to live up to their example uh simply stated the d-day landing was one of the most consequential military operations in history of the world the success of the invasion changed the world for the better and it came at a heavy price and that's why we remember d-day and we should always remember d-day having served in the air force for 33 years being part of a military unit was one of the best experiences of my life all i can say is to those who plan the operation who took part in the operation the world owes you a debt that could never be repaid all of us are remembering 77 years ago my father was a major in the army during that period of time and he was busily training the soldiers that would step off the boats onto the beaches at normandy it was tough it was deadly but it was absolutely necessary so to the families the survivors all the effort that was made we remember we remember that sacrifice today my father was a world war ii veteran and a purple heart recipient he was one of the first soldiers to land in okinawa and was injured seriously there and typical of world war ii soldiers he didn't talk about himself we read the most of it in his diary that we found then as a kid i saw the impact of service on my father and i saw the importance of the taking care of our veterans when they come home from war from the gi bill to the va we've made promises to our world war ii veterans that in return for your service and your sacrifice we will take care of you and your family when you return home so to every one of our world war ii veterans thank you thank you please know how much you inspired me and so many others across our country my father served in the pacific theater working for the army corps of engineers he started in alaska and moved down the aleutian island chain and then as our military island hop to gain ground my father built airfields and bases so that our military would have the backing to keep fighting my father uncles and so many others like them set a tone that continues to inspire people around the world today and i am proud of my father uncles and every person's service in world war ii their selfless service inspires me every day and we must never forget the incredible courage of the men and women who defended freedom during world war ii and we also must promise never to stop protecting those values that still unite us when i stood on that hallowed ground and walked through the cemetery fathers buried next to sons brothers buried next to each other it had a transformational effect on me every american should go to normandy to reappreciate the courage the bravery and the reason why they gave their lives for our democracy for freedom around the world they were so young they had their whole lives ahead of them and yet they chose to go right into harm's way my father enlisted at 17 and arrived at normandy in the early morning hours of june 6 serving in the 101st airborne division he was one of the fortunate thieves collider remained intact on landing near say mayor clays my father-in-law graduated from west point in the d-day class of 1944 and crossed omaha beach that morning ironically with his brother his father and his father-in-law our family is deeply steeped in the history of this battle pivotal to world history the allied victory in normandy sealed the liberation of europe and thereby ushered in a new year of freedom for the western world without this heroic operation the outcome of the war could have been drastically different i firmly believe it's vital that we continue to tell these stories of heroism and sacrifice handed down from the greatest generation in order to preserve our history to understand the price of freedom and to inspire our young leaders for generations to come john wore a lot of titles congressman chairman outdoorsman father friend and my husband but i think that the title he was most proud of was being a veteran his country called him to serve at the height of one of the most critical wars in our history and he signed up as soon as he turned 18 to protect his country in his time in the army [Music] his desire to do everything that he could to protect his country's freedoms was the public service that he felt was the most important you don't understand what those soldiers who fought for us to protect us and make sure we are free to this day what it was like on d-day until you walked the beach until you see the cliffs where the germans were just shooting at those that landed they are called those who served in world war ii the greatest generation they loved our country they never took any of the freedoms that we had for granted and so many of them gave their life for this country so that we would be free my father that guy right there staff sergeant bernard deutsch from chicago who fought in the battle of the bulge 84th infantry division he told me stories about his time there and how cold it was and he was cold for the rest of his life but the story that i always remember my dad uh was injured and earned a purple heart when a piece of shrapnel went through his helmet every day the medic went around and asked went from bed to bed and asked the guys how they were doing and his his answer was i feel great i'm ready to go back and after a couple days of this they thought that that the shrapnel went a little further into his head beneath his helmet than they had thought and was that he was impaired and so they sent him to nice for uh r and r it was as he often said the best vacation that he had for the rest of his life after pearl harbor my father who lived in hartford connecticut and was a recently admitted lawyer joined the fbi and was assigned to their manhattan office that dealt with counter-espionage where clearly there was lots of cells of nazi sympathizers and saboteurs that really were actively working to undermine the war effort particularly regarding the industrial base of our country while he was in the manhattan office he met secretary and stenographer dorothy kane who ended up being mrs dorothy courtney my mother and she also was involved in the war effort uh when there was um nazi uh saboteurs that were captured off long island she was actually one of the people who transcribed a confession of one of the saboteurs again because of some really smart work by the coast guard and by the fbi office um you know that effort which was transported to the u.s by u-boat was thwarted you know their contribution to the war effort which again is somewhat unusual but certainly helped the cause i will certainly never forget how we were able to celebrate the 75th anniversary where i was able to jump out of the original c47 that led the invasion fleet still have my uh my good trusty m1 gi issue helmet my bag that i jumped over st mary glees with french wine and good old american bourbon in it uh but you know what was so special about that day wasn't so much that we jumped with a 92 year old paratrooper by the way but was reaction to the french people with hand-painted banners uh thank you america we love you america thank you for our freedoms uh welcome to our liberators you would have thought uh that d-day had happened last week on june 6 our hearts are heavy as we remember the lives lost on normandy's beaches but we're also filled with gratitude for the courageous men and women who fought to save our nation and frankly the entire world more than 180 000 south carolinians joined the fight during world war ii and a few years ago i had the distinct privilege of celebrating their sacrifice and their bravery in charleston i'll never forget shaking hands with these courageous men and women members of the greatest generation and thanking them for their service without them and without june 6 our world be a very different place today serves as a sober reminder that freedom is never really free but i thank god for all the brave americans who've served including my own father and brothers so that we can sleep soundly and peacefully every night thank you all for commemorating such an important day and may the good lord continue to bless these united states of america my father served on a marine transport ship in the south pacific he was in tokyo bay one of the first ships in tokyo bay marine transport ship and he watched as the japanese surrendered on the uss missouri i'm very proud of my father and sons and daughters are all very proud of those who serve in world war ii on june 6 president franklin eleanor roosevelt gave this prayer to the public a prayer that touches my heart almighty god our sons pride of our nation this day have set upon a mighty endeavor a struggle to preserve our republic our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity leave them straight and cruel if strength in their arms stop this to their hearts steadfastness in their faith they will need thy blessings their road will be long and hard for the enemy is strong he may hurl back our forces success may not come with rushing speed but we shall return again and again and we know that by thy grace and by the righteousness of our cause our sons will triumph and i had the privilege of being the chairman of the eisenhower memorial right here is a portrayal of general eisenhower telling the 101st airborne just before d-day let's go and then the whole theme of this memorial is normandy at peace you can see the tapestry that stretches all across two blocks here in washington dc and it's a little impressionistic but that is d-day and that is normandy at peace now eisenhower and normandy and world war ii affect us all we rescued western democracy in europe and we provided eight years of peace and prosperity with i can't do any better that i've been honored to be the congresswoman who introduced the legislation to establish the national world war ii memorial on our national mall in 1987 i introduced the legislation to construct the memorial and fought for 17 years in congress to make the memorial a reality it was an ohio world war ii veteran named roger durbin who sought out his member of congress to suggest the idea it was another ohioan that created the idea of honor flight which has flown over two hundred thousand veterans to washington to visit the memorials of their respective conflicts at no cost to the veteran this memorial bears no individual's name rather it commemorates the sacred victory of a generation that preserved and united the free world the memorial stands as a guardian to the lasting memory of the greatest generation or as i like to observe america's most unselfish generation at the time of world war ii i was just a young girl however my brother john 13 years my senior was eligible to serve in the military i adored john he was my role model i was his shadow so when he was sent off to the pacific aboard the wyndham bay i learned at a fragile age that no matter how far away the war seems it finds its way back home my mother constantly interrupted my radio program to turn on the news in hopes of being reassured in some way about john she made so many trips to the mailbox that i did my best to flood her with postcards when i went away to summer camp i knew she wanted to hear from john but i thought it might help lift her spirits later in the war my brother was aboard the saratoga the largest aircraft carrier in the world when it was hit and torn to pieces by kamikaze planes and torpedoes thankfully john was not injured when he came home on survivor's leave i met him dressed in a navy wave uniform he had given me as a young girl i was overjoyed to have my big brother home though in time i came to understand just what john and millions of other americans had accomplished they came from all walks of life and bonded together to rescue the world from one of the darkest periods we have ever known some moments in history produce leaders willing to stand for what is right world war ii produced an entire generation and then they came home and gave us the america that we all enjoy today the america that will always have a very special mark on the history of our time and so i can say easily at this stage of my life thank you greatest generation god bless [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Normandy Institute

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Id: lEVFDxVTTQc

Length: 64min 45sec (3885 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 05 2021