Lincoln Discussion Symposium

(06-06-2014 01:24 PM)LincolnMan Wrote: [ -> ]I am blessed and honored to have a D-Day veteran as a patient. He is seeing me after all those years for PTSD. It seems like yesterday to him. And, despite, his age- his mind is as sharp as a tack. God bless them all. They are the real heroes.

Thank you for sharing, Bill. You said it so well - indeed God Bless them all.

(06-06-2014 01:24 PM)LincolnMan Wrote: [ -> ]I am blessed and honored to have a D-Day veteran as a patient. He is seeing me after all those years for PTSD. It seems like yesterday to him. And, despite, his age- his mind is as sharp as a tack. God bless them all. They are the real heroes.
Yesterday, during a full day of therapy- I saw 11 patients. Out of the 11 patients, only one knew what D-Day was.

God...that is amazing. Yes, they are heroes in the fullest, truest sense of the word. That word is thrown around so much...sports stars and actors are called "heroes" which is simply ridiculous.

As for your statement about only one of your patients knowing what D-Day was...I can't address that. Just can't. It's too stunning and depressing.

This is a great story!

Bernard's Great Escape: D-Day veteran, 89, who was reported missing by care home staff is found in Normandy - after escaping to join his former comrades

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...z33spOKBOD
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June 6, 2014 marks the Seventieth Anniversary of the D-Day invasion of the beaches of Normandy, France. It was the day the Allies breached Hitler's Atlantic Wall making it the beginning of the end of German occupation of western Europe during World War II.

The Lincoln Forum's own Craig Symonds has just published his new book “Neptune: The Allied Invasion of Europe and the D-Day Landings” which deals with the naval component of Operation Overlord (The Normandy Invasion).

Craig Symonds will appear on C-SPAN3 this Saturday, June 7, to discuss his new book and participate in a live call-in session with viewers beginning at 11:30 a.m., EDT.

Craig is a retired professor of history from the U.S. Naval Academy and an excellent speaker. Our audience at a special Civil War program at Surratt House loved him last year.

Thank you all for remembering D-Day! What a real honor, Bill -- these guys are the greatest. I can't help but remember my dad who served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne and was dropped over Normandy and Sicily, fought in North Africa (and yes, was in Casablanca - don't know about "Rick's Cafe" though!) and fought in France. He was wounded twice; I have his purple hearts and he had huge scar on his leg and another on his left arm. I once asked him what it felt like to be shot. He told me that at first the wound/limb went numb - then it "burned like fire...." He never spoke much about the occurrences much and I later found out that most veterans didn't speak much of it.

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Dropping over Normandy - one of these is my dad, I'm sure....

God bless your dad, Betty, and all those other brave Americans of that generation -- and not just those who fought, but those who went to work in the factories here and those who literally rationed their lives in order to provide support to the troops. I sometimes wonder if we will ever see such courage and such leadership again.

Yes indeed - it's time we see this kind of patriotism and leadership again....

Tonight at 8 PM Eastern time/7 PM Central - there will be an hour long special; "Journey to Normandy" on NBC. Check your local listings. I'll be watching.

Thank you to Laurie for sending this picture!

(07-30-2014 02:23 PM)RJNorton Wrote: [ -> ]Thank you to Laurie for sending this picture!

Construction of The Lincoln Memorial in 1921

I wonder how many pieces of sculpture went together to make that magnificent piece?