By Timothy D. Naegele[1]

Today is the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landings on the beaches of Normandy in France, which turned the tide of World War II in Europe. It was the beginning of the end of Adolf Hitler’s “Third Reich,” and if they had not occurred—with the horrendous loss of American and other lives—the world might be very different today.

The UK may have fallen; America might have been attacked with rockets that Wernher von Braun and other German scientists were developing[2]; and the peace and prosperity that ensued after the fall of Germany and Japan might not have occurred.[3]  We can only conjecture how different the world would be now.

One thing is certain: we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the intelligence and courage of those who made D-Day happen, not the least of whom was our future President Dwight D. Eisenhower.  He and his staff planned the invasion meticulously; and he made the crucial decision that it was a “go,” as inclement weather bore down on the English Channel, which had to be crossed.[4]

Except for tourists, the battlefields of Normandy are quiet now.  However, we must never forget what the brave Americans and other allies did that day.  Many are resting there.

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© 2024, Timothy D. Naegele

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[1]  Timothy D. Naegele was counsel to the United States Senate’s Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and chief of staff to Presidential Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal recipient and former U.S. Senator Edward W. Brooke (R-Mass).  See, e.g., Timothy D. Naegele Resume-21-8-6  and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/accomplishments/   He has an undergraduate degree in economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), as well as two law degrees from the School of Law (Boalt Hall), University of California, Berkeley, and from Georgetown University.  He served as a Captain in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon, where he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal (see, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commendation_Medal#Joint_Service).  Mr. Naegele is an Independent politically; and he is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American Law, and Who’s Who in Finance and Business. He has written extensively over the years (see, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/articles/ and https://naegeleknol.wordpress.com/articles/), and studied photography with Ansel Adams.  He can be contacted directly at tdnaegele.associates@gmail.com

[2]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wernher_von_Braun (“Wernher von Braun”)

[3]  See, e.g., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normandy_landings (“Normandy landings”)

[4]  See, e.g., https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2024/03/02/the-man-who-stopped-hitler/ (“The Man Who Stopped Hitler”) and https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1907533/king-charles-dday-speech-queen-camilla (“King Charles delivers poignant D–Day speech at D–Day event in Portsmouth”); see also https://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2023/06/06/d–day-has-been-forgotten/ (“D–Day Has Been Forgotten”)