[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 90 (Wednesday, June 6, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7167-S7168]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       63RD ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I stand before you to honor the memory 
of the heroes who sacrificed their lives on the beaches of Normandy 63 
years ago today. It was these brave men who stared into the face of the 
stark unknown and forged on to military victory. Supreme Allied 
Commander and future President Dwight D. Eisenhower led the decisive 
invasion, now known as D-day, that brought liberation throughout 
Europe.
  It was on June 6, 1944, at 6:30 a.m., that the first assault wave of 
a great armada rolled onto the beaches of Normandy, France. Operation 
Overlord commenced and everyone involved knew there was no turning 
back. And while the size and scope of the operation were colossal, so 
were the risks. The success of the battle hinged on the element of 
surprise, and with literally thousands of men involved in the planning, 
its secrecy hinged on those same men. It is clear these men were the 
epitome of unfailing loyalty, courage, and solidarity. The invasion had 
been postponed a day due to weather, and it was only after assurances 
from a meteorologist that conditions would improve that General 
Eisenhower agreed to proceed. But still, cloudy skies caused drop zones 
to be overshot, and

[[Page S7168]]

more than half of the equipment to be parachuted in was lost. But 
soldiers persisted, risks paid off, and bravery triumphed over peril. 
On that dangerous early morning, following a treacherous English 
Channel crossing, 150,000 Allied troops took the shore, and 100,000 
continued inland. Mr. President, 9,000 men were lost that day, but it 
went down in history as the decisive battle that turned the tide of the 
war.
  I am proud to bring your attention to what these men did. And as I 
recognize their valor on this remarkable anniversary, I think it is 
both fitting and necessary to recognize the valor of our troops in 
battle today who are no less brave, and who face uncertainty and risk, 
as did those who fought for freedom in the Second World War. I wish I 
could stand up here and draw other comparisons between these two wars--
WWII and the global war on terror--and between the threats of Nazism 
and terrorism, because it is without a doubt that World War II, despite 
our human losses, brought a unity of cause to our Nation, and that 
would be a great place for us to be again. But the fact is that we are 
in a different world and a different century; we face a different 
enemy, and, most of all, our Nation has tremendous differences on how 
to deal with this enemy.
  However, as with the heroism demonstrated by our fighting forces both 
then and now, there are other unmistakable parallels. The invasion on 
D-day marked a pivotal time in history when the outcome was uncertain. 
The great generals going into battle had faith and trust in their 
troops, but knew their bold strategy carried with it great risk. Just 
before the invasion, MG Leroy Watson, commander of the 3rd Armored 
Division, sent his troops this message:

       This is the greatest military operation in the history of 
     the world. Its success or failure will determine the course 
     of events for the next hundred years.

  General Eisenhower, also uncertain about the outcome, prepared a 
letter which he never had to deliver, accepting responsibility for the 
loss. He expected catastrophic failure and military victory. He wrote 
to his troops:

       My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon 
     the best information available. The troops, the Air and the 
     Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do.

  The leaders knew the danger, but also knew the consequences of 
failure. In Iraq, and in the fight against terrorism, we must continue 
to stay the course, because the stakes of not winning are too high, 
and, as was the case on D-day, we are again in a pivotal time in 
history. And again, the outcome will surely determine the course of 
events for the remainder of this century.
  D-day was a tremendous battle, with thousands of casualties over the 
course of a day. It was a time of great loss for our Nation. And amidst 
those losses stand stories of bravery, individual valor and resounding 
brotherhood--stories that enveloped the historic battle and 
personalized it for a nation. And I can tell you that the soldiers I 
met in Iraq, and the troops whose stories I heard at Fort Benning and 
Fort Stewart, will be remembered in the annals of our Nation as 
warriors who are as brave, as strong, and as committed as the heroes of 
D-day we remember today.
  And the Generals who led these brave men will also never be 
forgotten. World War II saw Eisenhower, Patton, Marshall and Bradley--
all of these men have secured their places in history. And today and in 
the future we will remember the legacies of Petraeus, Odierno, 
McChrystal, and Fallon--generals and admirals whose leadership, 
ingenuity, courage and forthrightness are shaping the Iraq strategy, 
and no doubt its military outcome.
  So in drawing these parallels, my conclusion is that in the history 
of war, there are some constants: the bravery of soldiers, the 
uncertainty of battle, the value of leadership, and the necessity of 
victory. These things never change. They were evident on June 6, 1944, 
and they are evident today. And so it is on the 63rd anniversary of D-
day, the decisive battle of World War II, that I recognize the heroes 
who fought, lived, and died valiantly. And I thank them and their 
families for setting an example and standard our warriors remember on 
the battlefield today, and for creating a generation that is willing 
and able to set the same standard and example for our heroes of 
tomorrow. I hope that our men and women in uniform serving around the 
world today will draw courage from the example of those who have gone 
before them as they execute the responsibilities we as a nation have 
trusted them to carry out.

                          ____________________