Yes indeed JP, thank you for being appreciative of the folks from many countries that gave their all to defend Europe from the German forces.
My Dad was at the shore on a destroyer (USS Satterlie) and his was the 1st ship to defend the Rangers climbing the cliffs at Pointe-Du-Hoc to invade.
His destroyer lambasted the Germans with huge shells from the deck cannons so the US troops could scale the cliffs and attack.
He never spoke much of the war either, but he was very proud to have fought in both the Atlantic and Pacific theatres on his ship.
Those fellows were definatly,
"The greatest generation".......Attachment:
vetransday.gif
From the net....
"In the first week of May 1944, Satterlee underwent training for a special mission assigned to her for the Normandy landings. She was to support a crack unit of 200 Army rangers in eliminating a German gun battery at Pointe du Hoc which commanded the Omaha landing beaches. After escorting minesweepers to the beach area on the night of 5 and 6 June, she commenced pre-arranged fire on Pointe du Hoc at 05:48, 6 June. As the rangers landed, she broke up enemy units attempting to oppose them from the top of the cliff."