Sunday, June 6, 2010 is the 66th anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, the turning point of World War II. General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who made Gettysburg his home after that war, was the commander of this most pivotal of battles, as well as its orchestrator.
To commemorate the Supreme Allied Commander and the 160,000 troops who made the invasion of France a reality, the Eisenhower National Historic Site offers a special remembrance of D-Day on Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6.
Living history groups will set up camp on the property that Ike and Mamie called home. The 9th Infantry Division Living History Association will portray varied U.S. forces, including infantry, paratroopers, tank divisions, and artillerymen. The Combined Operations Living History Association will portray British troops and French resistance fighters – as these, as well as soldiers from Canada, Poland, Norway, Poland, Czechoslovakia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Belgium, and France also played a major role in the success of the invasion. Visitors will be able to see first-hand how the infantry, the airmen, tankers, artillerists and civilians made the landings on the Normandy beaches possible – against amazing odds.
A special program will be offered, entitled Eisenhower and the Men of D-Day. Park rangers will lecture about Ike’s role in the D-Day planning and invasion, and his affection for his soldiers. The program will be presented on Saturday and Sunday at 11:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.
Our World War II veterans are now few in number. Their courage and sacrifice are legendary, and well worth our remembrance.
Visitors can get to the Eisenhower National Historic Site by bus, which departs every half-hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center at 1195 Baltimore Pike. For additional information, contact the Eisenhower National Historic Site at 338-9114.
