TODAY IS THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY

You sure wouldn’t know it by what’s on television. Not a single movie, documentary or anything at all. We watched “Oh, What a Lovely War” with a chaser of “The Americanization of Emily.” Garry scoured the listings, but no channel is showing anything related to D-Day.

Not like there aren’t plenty of movies and documentaries from which to choose. So, have we forgotten? Call me weird, but I think this is a day to remember. Always.

RevolutionCemetaryARTO-300-72

Here I am, cynical, skeptical and nobody’s flag-waver reminding everyone that this day was important. It was the beginning of the final stage of the most devastating war in remembered history.


The summary of loss of life, 1937-1945:

  • Military deaths: More than 16,000,000
  • Civilian deaths: More than 45,000,000
  • Total deaths for the war years 1937-1945: More than 61,000,000

I don’t think we should be allowed to forget so quickly, do you? Because when we forget, when the lessons we learned are lost, then we stand in danger of repeating history. I, for one, think that’s a bad idea.



Categories: #American-history, History, Patriotism

Tags: , , , ,

24 replies

  1. This is why movies like Monuments Men are important – whether they are critically acclaimed or not – they hopefully don’t allow people to forget what happened a mere 70 years ago – when a single madman orchestrated the murder of millions and millions of people. Young people, who are now far removed from all this, need to be reminded especially. Right Mr. Putin?

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    • I’m strongly in favor of anything that helps we the people remember what we have done and how we can keep it from happening ever again. I don’t like it when huge events just pass away.

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  2. I know one channel here was running “The Longest Day”. There has been news coverage and docos of course. I elected to watch “The Secret D Day Disaster” about the deaths of American soldiers and sailors during a pre D Day training exercise in Devon. I’d actually been unaware of this story until the other week when it was part of the plot line of an episode of “Foyle’s War”. Terrible tragedy which could probably have been avoided and was probably covered up for many years. :By the way I don’t know if you get the series “Foyle’s War” in the USA it’s British but I think it is very good.

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  3. As a French native from Normandy, I never forgot D-Day and I do honor the men who died on the beaches where I grew up and allow me for my freedom. I actually wrote a post today about WWII.
    Thank you for your post,Marilyn.

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  4. Brian Williams did a special called Journey to Normandy. It was quite touching.

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    • I know. We are watching it (we recorded it earlier). But not one single movie channel ran a movie or documentary. Other that news outlets and the History Channel, it was completely ignored.

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  5. I stayed in another room while my significant other watched Normandy revisited tonight. Thank God he finally turned it off. ’twas all I could do to stay away. No idea what he was watching…

    I don’t “do” TV except for a couple of something’s here and there. It could have been something you spoke of, or more. For me, ’twas more than too much. Could see the pain in my beloved dad’s eyes. Bleech…he was Navy, and right in the middle of too much, and too young.

    Bless those who fight for us, bless those who report the real deal for us, and bless those who remember.

    Remember, lest we forget.

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    • I am not, over all, a big fan of war movies in general, but there are specific movies that I love. I watch some TV, not as much as some people and most of it vintage. But I think a day like today should be commemorated — and I think even the entertainment industry has an obligation to be part of that.

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  6. That’s odd. I would have thought at least PBS would show something. I remember being little and looking at the calendar from my grandpa’s VA and asking him what D-Day meant. I don’t remember the answer, just that he looked sad.

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  7. Watch “A Canterbury Tale” by Michael Powell. It’s the most moving WW II movie I’ve ever seen.

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  8. Thank you. As far as I am concerned this is one of the most important days in American history.
    One of the most moving days of my whole life was going there and being in the cemeteries and going to the beaches.

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  9. The classic movie channels didn’t have anything?

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