[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 69 (Tuesday, June 7, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
               THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE D-DAY INVASION

  Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. President, yesterday, President Clinton and many 
Members of Congress in France observed the 50th anniversary of the D-
day invasion.
  On June 6, 1944, thousands of allied soldiers embarked on one of 
history's greatest military undertakings. The conditions were 
difficult, and there were significant losses. There were 6,500 American 
casualties alone.
  The sacrifices were great, but the results proved to be even greater.
  The invasion was a turning point of World War II. Through their 
successful landing in Normandy, allied troops established a foothold 
for the liberation of France and the eventual breakthrough into 
Germany. Months of planning and training and the commitment of 
thousands of troops and tons of materiel paid off and led to an allied 
victory. The successful invasion was a crucial stepping stone to 
achieving the ultimate goal: the defeat of Hitler and the surrender of 
Nazi Germany.
  This outcome was not easily achieved. The troops participating in 
what was called Operation Overlord faced extraordinary circumstances: 
parachuting into the darkness to secure roads; landing on the beach in 
cold, rough seas, each soldier loaded down with at least 60 pounds of 
gear; encountering heavy German fire across the beaches.
  But our troops overcame every obstacle. They fought long and hard 
and, ultimately, they won.
  The success of the invasion set in motion a chain of events that 
would change the course of history. The Nazi stranglehold on France was 
released, and over the next 11 months the menace of Nazi Germany was 
eliminated.
  These months were difficult and required the continued commitment and 
cooperation of the allies. Harsh fighting on the eastern front and the 
continuing battles on the newly established western front demanded 
further investments of troops and supplies by the allied nations. 
Victory required the destruction of Hitler's Nazi Germany, and our 
troops and their leaders rose to the occasion.
  Winston Churchill summed up the magnitude of the threat when he said:

       Victory at all costs, victory in spite of terror, victory 
     however long and hard the road may be; for without victory 
     there is no survival.

  We made many sacrifices, and democracy survived; indeed, democracy 
has flourished. Nations came together to fight a common enemy, and that 
cooperation was essential to the success of the invasion and in the war 
itself.
  President Roosevelt told our Nation, when he recognized that our 
future was bound with the future of freedom on the European continent, 
that we defend a way of life not for Americans alone but for all 
mankind. He recognized the community of ideals which binds all free 
nations together. He described the four freedoms on which human life 
and happiness depend: the freedom of expression, the freedom of 
worship, the freedom from want, and the freedom from fear.
  As we observe the 50th anniversary of the invasion, today the world, 
of course, looks much different than it did in 1944. The cold war is 
over. Democracy has triumphed in much of the world. The totalitarian 
Germany of Hitler has been transformed and is not a reliable democratic 
ally.
  Much of this change can be traced directly to the heroic efforts of 
those young men who landed on the beaches of Normandy.
  They gave their strength, their courage and, in many cases, their 
lives so that future generations, including ours, could live in freedom 
and peace.
  We are the most fortunate people ever to have lived, to be Americans, 
citizens of the most open, the most free society in all of human 
history. We owe much of our good fortune to those who so valiantly 
served their Nation and the cause of freedom in the D-day invasion of 
June 6, 1944. They have our ever-lasting admiration and gratitude.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The Senator from Georgia.

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