“We’re here to mark that day in history when the Allied armies joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For 4 long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June, 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers—the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After 2 days of fighting, only 90 could still bear arms.

Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.

Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender’s poem. You are men who in your “lives fought for life… and left the vivid air signed with your honor.”

I think I know what you may be thinking right now—thinking “we were just part of a bigger effort; everyone was brave that day.” Well, everyone was. Do you remember the story of Bill Millin of the 51st Highlanders? Forty years ago today, British troops were pinned down near a bridge, waiting desperately for help. Suddenly, they heard the sound of bagpipes, and some thought they were dreaming. Well, they weren’t. They looked up and saw Bill Millin with his bagpipes, leading the reinforcements and ignoring the smack of the bullets into the ground around him.

Lord Lovat was with him—Lord Lovat of Scotland, who calmly announced when he got to the bridge, “Sorry I’m a few minutes late,” as if he’d been delayed by a traffic jam, when in truth he’d just come from the bloody fighting on Sword Beach, which he and his men had just taken.

There was the impossible valor of the Poles who threw themselves between the enemy and the rest of Europe as the invasion took hold, and the unsurpassed courage of the Canadians who had already seen the horrors of war on this coast. They knew what awaited them there, but they would not be deterred. And once they hit Juno Beach, they never looked back.

All of these men were part of a rollcall of honor with names that spoke of a pride as bright as the colors they bore: the Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Poland’s 24th Lancers, the Royal Scots Fusiliers, the Screaming Eagles, the Yeomen of England’s armored divisions, the forces of Free France, the Coast Guard’s “Matchbox Fleet” and you, the American Rangers.

Forty summers have passed since the battle that you fought here. You were young the day you took these cliffs; some of you were hardly more than boys, with the deepest joys of life before you. Yet, you risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love.

The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next. It was the deep knowledge—and pray God we have not lost it—that there is a profound, moral difference between the use of force for liberation and the use of force for conquest. You were here to liberate, not to conquer, and so you and those others did not doubt your cause. And you were right not to doubt.

You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One’s country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man. All of you loved liberty. All of you were willing to fight tyranny, and you knew the people of your countries were behind you.

The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They fought—or felt in their hearts, though they couldn’t know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell.

Something else helped the men of D-Day: their rockhard belief that Providence would have a great hand in the events that would unfold here; that God was an ally in this great cause. And so, the night before the invasion, when Colonel Wolverton asked his parachute troops to kneel with him in prayer he told them: Do not bow your heads, but look up so you can see God and ask His blessing in what we’re about to do. Also that night, General Matthew Ridgway on his cot, listening in the darkness for the promise God made to Joshua: “I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.”

These are the things that impelled them; these are the things that shaped the unity of the Allies.

When the war was over, there were lives to be rebuilt and governments to be returned to the people. There were nations to be reborn. Above all, there was a new peace to be assured. These were huge and daunting tasks. But the Allies summoned strength from the faith, belief, loyalty, and love of those who fell here. They rebuilt a new Europe together.

There was first a great reconciliation among those who had been enemies, all of whom had suffered so greatly. The United States did its part, creating the Marshall plan to help rebuild our allies and our former enemies. The Marshall plan led to the Atlantic alliance—a great alliance that serves to this day as our shield for freedom, for prosperity, and for peace.

In spite of our great efforts and successes, not all that followed the end of the war was happy or planned. Some liberated countries were lost. The great sadness of this loss echoes down to our own time in the streets of Warsaw, Prague, and East Berlin. Soviet troops that came to the center of this continent did not leave when peace came. They’re still there, uninvited, unwanted, unyielding, almost 40 years after the war. Because of this, allied forces still stand on this continent. Today, as 40 years ago, our armies are here for only one purpose—to protect and defend democracy. The only territories we hold are memorials like this one and graveyards where our heroes rest.

We in America have learned bitter lessons from two World Wars: It is better to be here ready to protect the peace, than to take blind shelter across the sea, rushing to respond only after freedom is lost. We’ve learned that isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments with an expansionist intent.

But we try always to be prepared for peace; prepared to deter aggression; prepared to negotiate the reduction of arms; and, yes, prepared to reach out again in the spirit of reconciliation. In truth, there is no reconciliation we would welcome more than a reconciliation with the Soviet Union, so, together, we can lessen the risks of war, now and forever.

It’s fitting to remember here the great losses also suffered by the Russian people during World War II: 20 million perished, a terrible price that testifies to all the world the necessity of ending war. I tell you from my heart that we in the United States do not want war. We want to wipe from the face of the Earth the terrible weapons that man now has in his hands. And I tell you, we are ready to seize that beachhead. We look for some sign from the Soviet Union that they are willing to move forward, that they share our desire and love for peace, and that they will give up the ways of conquest. There must be a changing there that will allow us to turn our hope into action.

We will pray forever that some day that changing will come. But for now, particularly today, it is good and fitting to renew our commitment to each other, to our freedom, and to the alliance that protects it.

We are bound today by what bound us 40 years ago, the same loyalties, traditions, and beliefs. We’re bound by reality. The strength of America’s allies is vital to the United States, and the American security guarantee is essential to the continued freedom of Europe’s democracies. We were with you then; we are with you now. Your hopes are our hopes, and your destiny is our destiny.

Here, in this place where the West held together, let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: “I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.”

Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value [valor], and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died.

Thank you very much, and God bless you all.”

“On the evening of October 2, 1918, Major Charles White Whittlesey led nearly 700 men under his command into the Charlevaux Ravine, deep with the Argonne Forest of France. That night, the Germans quietly surrounded them, completely cutting them off from all contact with their main line.

Five Days later 194 survivors walked out.” (1)

“Their division had forged one of the greatest and most storied legends or the war as well – that of the Lost Battalion, which had held out against incredible odds while surrounded behind enemy lines and had never surrendered, even when demanded to do so by the enemy. (2)  

“We do not “get over” a death. We learn to carry the grief and integrate the loss in our lives. In our hearts we carry those who have died. We grieve and we love. We Remember.” (3)

(1). From the Book, The Lost Battalion: Return to the Charlevaux by Robert J. Laplander, lulu press; (2). Ibid, page 30; (3). Natalie Himmelrich, taken from the X 22 Report, May 19, 2020; Photo above – Major Charles White Whittlesey, Commanding Officer, 77th Division.

“There are true acts of courage that turn men into heroes.”

On the Eleveneth month, The Eleventh Day at the Eleventh Hour, World War I ended on this day in 1918. Here are some of the men who had a role in bringing America it’s victory over Germany.

General John “Black Jack” Pershing, Commanding Officer of the American Expeditionary Forces

Colonel Charles White Whittlesey, 77th Division, 308 Battalion, Commanded what was called “The Lost Battalion.” A fantastic story of brave leadership and the refusal to surrender under overwhelming odds.

77th Liberty Divison Patch

Captain George McMurtry, Whittlesey’s second in Command

You can also slide down to your local library and check out the movie The Lost Battalion starring Ricky Schroder. He does an excellent job portraying Charles White Whittelsey.

Major Samuel Woodfill

1 Corinthians 1:27-29 sums up the life of Sergeant Alvin York according to Colonel Douglas Mastriano; “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.”

Mastriano tells us that York was told by many he would never amount to anything and that he was just a drunken bum. By God’s grace, York became a national hero overnight for his exploits during the Argonne Offensive. His actions according to Mastriano “changed history” and the course of the world.

Whittelsey, Woodfill and York were invited by General Pershing to be present when the tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed in Washington D.C.

These stories of patriotism and courage need to be taught to the next generation. Behind all the glory is the grace of God upon America. Psalm 78:4 tells us that we have a “divine obligation to tell it like it is to the next generation.

“We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generation to come the praises of the LORD and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.“

You can start with an excellent movie by the same name, Sergeant York starring Gary Cooper.

Note: The Photo at the top of the page is a statute commemorating the exploits of Sergant Alvin York in Nashville, Tennessee.

“No Stray Bullets: The Making of an American Hero” by Ruth Price – Mother of Gunnery Sergeant Daniel J. Price, Marine Raider. 

“Ruth Price provides an unvarnished view of her son’s life that only a mother could, revealing the man behind the uniform.

She said that writing the biography was cathartic but painful, as she was forced to relive his life and his tragic death.

“It’s the story of our son,” she said. “In my opinion, he’s an American military hero who needs to be remembered; his story needs to be told. Like I said in the book, one of those Gold Star dads told us shortly after Dan was killed that, ‘We are the voices of our dead sons. If we don’t tell their stories, they won’t be told.” (1)

(1). Gold Star Mom Brings ‘Hero’ Marine Son Back to Life With Book, by Mathew M. Burke, Stars and Stripes, July 10, 2018, Military.com

“The Justice system has become the plaything of the left, a political operation that abuses the rule of law, which is the definition of tyranny.” (1)

“The Inspector General report exposed media outlets giving gifts to FBI agents in exchange for leaks, proving they are corrupt and do nothing to defend the freedom of the press. Meanwhile, James Comey was justifyably fired for his insubordinate, corrupt behavior, and should have been fired before Trump was elected.” (2)

“Paul Manafort is being held in solitary confinement for his own safety, after Judge Burman-Jackson revoked his bail following witness tampering allegations by Special Counsel Mueller. This escalation in his treatment is no doubt another attempt to pressure Manafort into cooperating with Mueller, who was originally arrested when agents with guns drawn ripped him from his home on process crimes.” (3)

The destruction of due process accellerated under the last administration. When you fight back as Manafort has done Marxist’s will unleash their power, sending their prosecutor’s after you with everything they’ve got (See Isaiah 59:14-15).

If they can do it to guys like Manafort, Michael Flynn and Carter Page, they can do it to us. Don’t think they can’t.

The reason the Immigration/Border issue is in the news is because Marxist’s want the Inspector General’s Report, although weak, to be gone. All because a few thugs holding prominent positions in government manufactured crimes to go after a duly elected president.

We’re being treated like people who live under the boots of dictators and the media is complicit – no longer looking for truth but out to push the new globalist agenda. That’s why they’re against border security. Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton are in it up to the ears, but don’t look for Madame Clinton to be prosecuted.

Why? Because they’ll have to go after Obama to get Clinton – and no one in Washington has the stomach to go after the first black president even though his adminstration will go down as one of the most, if not the most corrupt in history.

Political correctness has infested America. If you’re from a certain ethnic group you’ll get a pass. Hell, we don’t even call the war by it’s right name because we don’t want to offend Muslims.

Time will show just what a stuffed suit, a complete fraud Obama was – but by then it could be too late. Both parties need a cleansing, but the Dems have really gone overboard.

They favor N. Korea over America, protecting Hamas over Israel and America, MS-13, Iranian Mullahs, are against waterboarding Islamic fascists, they love anarchists and always take the sides of those opposing the Christian faith. (4)

Delayed D-Day Tribute – In May I found myself in Central Virginia. On the way “outta Dodge” I decided to drive through the town of Bedford, Virgina – home of the National D-Day Memorial. Time prohibited me from stopping, but I would invite you to go to a search engine and check out the site to learn why it’s there. Also punch in the words Bedford Boys and you’ll see what I mean.

You’ll be humbled.

(1) Mark Levin, Daily Recap, June 14, 2018, The Mark Levisn show, marklevinshow.com; (2) Mark Levin, Daily Recap, June 15, 2018, The Mark Levin Show, marklevinshow.com; (3) Mark Levin, Daily Recap, June 19, 2018, The Mark Levin Show, marklevinshow.com; (4) Jesse Watters, Watters World, May 26, 2018 Fox News Channel.

Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here? Moses to the Israeli people in Numbers 32:6

S/Sergeant Rayn Jeschke – Marines

S/Sergeant William Woitowicz – Marines

Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Price – Marines

Sergeant Kyle B. McClain – Army

SPC Josh D. Brown – Army

Private Byron Fouty – Army

S/Sergeant Andrew C. Seif – Marines

Captain Andrew R. Houghton – Army

1/LT Adam Malson – Army

Sergeant James S. Collins Jr. – Army

These ten men are connected to people, in one way or another, who attend church with me. Who knows there may more that have been killed that I’m not aware of. The Marines are all connected to my son’s unit. Some will forget. Maybe you will forget. Let’s never forget what these men died for and the angusih their families must feel.

The statue of “IRON MIKE” is a tribute by the French to members of the Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisons who liberted St Mere Eglise, France on June 6, 1944 (D-Day). Scripture tells us to never forget what “great things” God has Done for us. I’m honored to say that my father, his older brother and my mom’s two brothers fought during World War II.

Sergeant William Woitowicz

Gunnery Sergeant Daniel J. Price

Gunnery Sergeant Ryan Jeschke

Captain Stanford H. Shaw

Master Sergeant Thomas A. Saunders

Staff Sergeant Marcus S. Bawol

Staff Sergeant Trevor P. Blaylock

Staff Sergeant Liam A. Flynn

Staff Sergeant Kerry M. Kemp

Staff Sergeant Andrew C. Seif

Captain Andrew R. Hougthon – US Army

1st Lieutenant Adam Malson – US Army

Specialist Joshua D. Brown – US Army

Sergeant James S. Collins, Jr. – US Army

Specialist Byron Fouty – US Army

Sergeant Kyle B. McLain – US Army

(Note: These six men are connected to people who attend the same church as I do.)

“A Small Corner of Hell” – On the 100th Anniversary of America’s involvement in World War I, I wanted to honor some of the many men who fought in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in 1918. Specifically, the men of the 308th Infantry Regiment, Companies A, B, C, E, G, and H; The 307th Infantry Regiment, Company K and Companies C&D of the 306th Machine Gun Battalion.

“On the evening of October 2, 1918, Major Charles White Whittlesey led nearly 700 men under his command into the Charlevaux Ravine, deep in the Argonne Forest of France. That night, the Germans quietly surrounded them, completely cutting them off from all contact with their main line….five days later, 194 survivors walked out.” 

The fighting spirit displayed by these battered men “in the pocket“, who came to be known as The Lost Battalion, displayed a tenacity “to the German high command that the Americans were… a force to be reckoned with.”  

Their actions led to America becoming a global super power.

Sergeant Nathainel Rochester of California wrote home to his folks: “In this war I see the coming of a great democracy. A great birthright of the people of the earth – Freedom – is going to be the result…We are fighting in the fight for the common cause. Our father’s fought that this hemisphere might have enlightenment. We fight that the whole world may feel its welcoming rays.”

Three months after writing this, Nat Rochester lay dead in the mud in that “small corner of hell” and “another mother’s heart was broken forever.”

Quotes are from the book: The Lost Battalion: Return to the Charlevaux, by Robert J. Laplander. Laplander “is considered the world’s leading authority on The Lost Battalion” 

On May 31, 1944 General George Patton delivered a speech to the 3rd Army’s 6th Armored Division and was to have said; “Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. You won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.” (1)

We need general’s like that today, but people would stroke out after hearing such talk. Besides, we may cause some hurt feelings amongst the enemy.

(A lot of people complained about “the tone” used by candidates during the early days of the presidential campaign, making we wonder what we’d do if Elijah were here today slinging out rebukes like he did in his day.)

In the early days of the Afghan War, the line from the Bush Administration was that we were there; to “win the hearts and minds” of the people.

While at a training class on the east coast, a t-shirt worn by a battle-hardened soldier read; “Hearts and minds are just targets.”

Think for a moment what that means.

That’s the mindset needed to stop ISIS. The only way to beat their ideology is to spank them on the battlefield, not build more mosques or have “sensitivity training” every time they holler ‘discrimination.’

America defeated this so-called ideology when our fathers and grandfathers won wars on two fronts during WWII.

The country didn’t give a rip when the enemy was spoken of in unfavorable terms, because they were evil and were committing horrible atrocities.

The objective was to win.

Hitler thought he had been given a divine mandate from God, while the Japanese people believed Hirohito was god.

The next time someone bashes Truman for dropping bombs over Japan, remind them that the Germans and Jap’s were working on one also. We just beat them to the punch.

If either one of those nations dropped “the bomb” first, half of the world would have gone up in smoke, while those that survived would have lived under the boots of dictators.

There are “banana pies” in all professions. In police work or in the military it doesn’t become evident until the person is exposed to the stress and pressure of training.

There are reports the young man who took his life at Parris Island “had gone over the edge,” threatening suicide if he wasn’t allowed to go home.

Medical help and law enforcement were summoned and treated him. Once he calmed down, he was said to have changed his mind and wanted to remain in the military.

The are huge holes in the way this story is being reported by some outlets, what those in the legal world would call reasonable doubt.

No evidence has been presented the man was the victim of any hazing or discrimination.

It may just be that he was frightened after having his eyes opened to the realities of  what he would likely face in war.

There’s been no evidence the Drill Instructor (DI) did something to cause his death.

War is tough. Dying is tougher. Being captured by ISIS is unthinkable. Just ask the Jordanian pilot burned alive in a cage or the Christian’s being slaughtered.

President Obama and his appointee, Ash Carter, and now Debbie Dingle, are working overtime to weaken the US military which ultimately effects the security of the country. That’s the real issue.

Congress has also been derelict in their duty by allowing this madness to continue.

The family of this young man are reviewing the case with their attorney, who is of Arabic decent, to decide their next step. Which means they’re going sue.

This is another tactic the Left and CAIR employs. They can’t beat us at the ballot box or on the battlefield, so they go out and file a suit in a circuit infested with Leftist judges. The enemy uses the Constitution and our laws against us to transform the country – something that we must stop.

People may be upset with some of the quotes and language used in some posts. However, it’s not a time to get infuriated, except with those out to kill us.

I’m irritated seeing Marxists dismantling the country and equally irritated with Christian’s who are indifferent or ignorant to the threats we face.

God gave us the obligation of preserving our liberties – that’s our job, not His. It’s more than just voting or praying. It’s likely, more will be required of us in the days ahead.

I make no apologies for my patriotism and neither should you.

My next post, Part 3, with deal with the training principle but from a spiritual standpoint.

(1) 6 Badass Lines From Patton’s Famously Vulgar Speech, May 29, 2015 by Corey Adwar, taskandpurpose.com;

In the Bible we read of some brutal things that took place during war. Some came at the hand of the good guys.

In 2 Samuel 8 we learn of one of these harsh realities involving David and his men.

I believe many modern day Christians would have a difficult time with what David did, and rightfully so. But you must remember, the Israeli’s were constantly fighting for their survival.

Like today, they were surrounded by hostile nations intent on wiping them out (Psalm 84:3).

David was on an offensive military campaign, “taking it to the enemy,” so Israel could live secure in the land God promised them.

We don’t know why he knocked the snot out of Moab at this time, because when he was running from Saul he sent his folks there for protection (2 Samuel 22:3-4) and his great-grandmother, Ruth, also came from Moab (Ruth 1:4, 4:17).

“Then, he (David) defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive (2 Samuel 8:2).”

From this verse some believe David laid the enemy down in rows of three, killed the first two guys and let the third one go. Pretty horrific, but it sent a strong message that he wasn’t playing around.

Some think David acted on God’s promises, made generations earlier, to go in and take the land.

Notice that David isn’t asking for permission. He doesn’t need it, because it has already been given. He’s the boss now, and he’s cleaning up the mess previous generations, including Saul, had left him.

I’m writing in light of the discipline that recently came down on a number of Marine Corps personnel after a recruit of the muslim faith committed suicide at Parris Island.

Led by one of Michigan’s esteemed congressional Representative’s, Debbie Dingell, The Marine Corps implemented ‘a severe burn’ on these experienced warriors – which will cost us in the long run.

Dingell was quoted to say; “This weekend, I will visit Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, to see firsthand the recruit training process, meet with the new leadership and learn about the changes that are being implemented to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.” (1)

Wow! I guess we should also breathe easier and sleep better now, because Debbie Dingell is on the scene.

She’s know’s what best when it comes to training kids for war.

Never mind that the Marines, and the country for that matter, have lost or will lose experienced men who work very hard training men to survive in war.

What do you think will happen if Islamic radicals get their hands on one of our Marines or soldiers? Do you think they’re going to go soft on them, like the Congresswoman now wants the military to do with our recruits?

Funny, isn’t it? People like Dingell see to it that swift punishment is handed down to those serving the country faithfully, engaged in an honest days work, while looking out for the best interest of the nation and those they’ve been entrusted to train.

All the while, the lawlessness coming out of the Obama administration is virtually ignored by them.

We’ve been lied to repeatedly about the numerous scandals surrounding this administration.

As one legal scholar noted; “The Obama administration cut a secret deal with Iran to permit the terrorist-sponsoring regime to violate restrictions put in place by last year’s nuclear deal. These are impeachable offenses for the whole top-level of the Obama administration, the president on down. This is the fate that President Obama has sealed for the American people. In addition, this Iran Deal is a treaty and should have been put before the Senate as treaty. However, it wasn’t and Mitch McConnell and Bob Corker did nothing to stop the President. The warnings of Mike Lee and other conservatives in the Senate went unheeded. In the end, this deal makes war with Iran absolute.” (2)

At the same time both Houses of Congress, James Comey, Eric Holder and now Loretta Lynch, have looked the other way.

Someone needs to tell Congresswoman Dingell that if we lose this war, she and other American women will be forced to wear burka’s, having lost all the privileges modern, independent women, now enjoy.

ISIS will add new dimensions to the phrase; ‘Now, go make me a sandwich.’

I’ll have more on this, next time.

(1) CNN; (2) Mark Levin, Daily Recap, marklevinshow.com