D-Day, June 6, 1944, 70 years ago today, the Allies crossed the English Channel. Landing in France on Normandy's beaches, they started taking back Western Europe from the Nazis.
I thought about all those brave men who fought and died for us and realized I didn't even know what the D in D-Day stood for. With a little research, I discovered it means nothing specifically. Some say it stands for date or deliverance, but it designates the beginning of major military battles. It's been around since World War I and has since come to represent the massive June 6th battle during World War II. For security reasons, the exact day of battles was not used until the last minute so as not to alert the enemy when they might be attacked. Often the troops didn't know when they would attack until hours before. Another practical reason D-Day was used instead of an exact date was that battle plans were often hundreds of pages long. If a specific date was written on the plans and that date changed, then the plans would have to be rewritten.
I'm glad I know what the D in D-Day means now. Much more importantly, I'm glad I know it stands for freedom. Let's never forget to honor this very special time, not only in America's history but the world's.
