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Guest column: White crosses, Normandy, and honoring veterans

Posted at 8:49 am November 11, 2013
By John Ragan 1 Comment

John Ragan

John Ragan

A few years ago, I traveled to France visiting the American Cemetery in Normandy on a guided tour. Our French guide was an expert on what we were seeing. A native to the region, she was steeped by her family lore in eyewitness accounts to the events of more than a half a century earlier.

That family background had spurred her to become a tour guide just before the 50th anniversary of D-Day. Her excellent knowledge of English and history convinced her employer, despite her youth, to assign her escort duties for American veterans visiting on that momentous occasion.

She spoke in a tone of reverence about the “older gentlemen” she had taken from place to place. Movingly, she recounted how they pointed here or there and commented how different something appeared compared to when they had seen it as young men. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Guest Columns Tagged With: American Cemetery, commander-in-chief, D-Day, France, House, John D. Ragan, John Ragan, military, Normandy, Saving Private Ryan, Senate, veterans, white crosses

Faith column: When I think of Christmas, I think of Normandy and D-Day

Posted at 12:16 pm December 23, 2012
By Dale Crank Leave a Comment

When I think of Christmas, I think of the Normandy Invasion, commonly known as D-Day. Years of planning went into that event. First, and the most obvious, was physically amassing the men and equipment needed to pull off the invasion. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, landing boats, airplanes, troop transports, weapons and ammunition, communication devices, food, and medical supplies all were assembled despite the threat of German U-boats that were intent on preventing the invasion.

Then there was the element of strategy. How could the Allies pull off a surprise invasion when the Germans knew that it would happen and would fortify the likely landing zone? We know now that the Allies used quiet gliders under the cover of darkness to allow the paratroopers to drop in behind the German fortifications and take the battle to them from both sides. Our leaders created a unique communication device—a clicker—so that the paratroopers could communicate with one another in the dark. They also used the Navajo language to securely communicate information because of the difficulty of breaking this code.

Finally, there was the sacrifice. The loss of life would be great; the human suffering would be greater. But the goal of freedom required it.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Faith Tagged With: Allies, Baby Jesus, Christmas, D-Day, freedom, Germans, God, invasion, Joseph, Mary, Normandy, tyranny, victory, war

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Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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