(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . D-Day is Coming... and so are President and First Lady Biden [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-06-03 The White House and the Elysée Palace both announced in the last few days that President and First Lady Biden will be traveling to France to participate in the 80th anniversary D-Day observance. The Bidens will be in France from 5 June to 9 June, finishing off with a state dinner hosted by President Macron in Paris. I wondered, with the campaign ongoing, and the ongoing tragedies in Ukraine and Gaza, if he would do it or if he would dispatch Vice President Harris or Secretary Blinken in his place. But he’s doing it and I’m glad. It’s appropriate. It seems that this anniversary is not generating much press yet in the States, but it’s a huge deal in France; especially Normandie. Events and preparations have been underway for months. we’ve seen C-47 transports in the sky — most recently today as I was coming out of a hardware store (quincaillerie). Dozens of very old veterans from the U.S., UK, and Canada will be traveling to Normandie for the observances, and the locals in the area are very much in the spirit. Even the fellow who my British friends call KC3 (King Charles III) will be coming. Store windows are painted, sculptures have been erected, flags are flying — you can see the American, British, and Canadian flags all over the place. There are going to be balls, concerts, dances, and most of all solemn remembrance and thanks for the sacrifices the Allied nations made to liberate France, and eventually all of Europe. This weekend we drove over to a small town near Saint-Lô, the local préfecture for La Manche — the département, along with Calvados — where the D-Day landings occurred. All but five percent of Saint-Lô was destroyed by Allied bombing and shelling, and by German retaliatory shelling, earning its nickname the capital of ruins. Anyway, this town (Dangy, pronounced approximately as don-jee) is small: population 672. And yet it flies the American flag in front of city hall over much of the year. Right now and for the next week, this tiny town is hosting a gathering of folks who own and maintain WWII era vehicles. They’re parked on a green in the town, with American Army tents and memorabilia lining the perimeter. These guys would be grandsons of WWII-era adults There’s probably 20 or 30 of these kinds of exhibitions scattered around the area. And there’s an excellent exposition in the local “Salle de Fête” (multi-purpose room) for Dangy, discussing life in the town before the war, during the occupation, during the liberation, and in the rebuilding years afterward. All this in a small rural town of 672 French people. Repeat that dozens and dozens of times across the département and you’ll start to see how big a deal this is. It’s remarkable. These people truly appreciate what the U.S. (and Canada and Britain) did, and they remember. One interesting thing I learned. Just outside Dangy is an even smaller community situated in a hilly, wooded area along the River Soulles called Pont Brocard, with probably one or two dozen residences. It was administratively attached to Dangy after the French Revolution. This town has a small exhibit of photos as part of its commemoration. Here’s one of the photos: Recognize any of these guys? From left to right, that’s famous war photographer Robert Capa (birth name Endre Friedmann), his driver Olin Tompkins of Jamestown, Tennessee, and a guy who was known for some of his writing named Ernest Hemingway. All in tiny Pont Brocard on 30 July 1944. The day before, 29 July, was very important in the area, with many towns being liberated. I may write more about that next month. Living in this area I’ve learned more about D-Day than I ever knew before. It was an astounding achievement of planning, logistics, training, deception, bravery, tragedy, and, ultimately, success. It’s difficult to comprehend what a huge undertaking it was. Nothing in the world’s history leading up to it or after it approaches its scale. Even today, 80 years later, it’s hard to imagine. I hope you’ll think about it in the coming days and weeks. It changed the world. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/6/3/2244477/-D-Day-is-Coming-and-so-are-President-and-First-Lady-Biden?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/