D-Day Then and Now 74 Years Later

D-Day Landing Beaches Then & Now

74th Anniversary

D-Day

June 6, 2018

On June 6, 1944, D-Day, my father landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. He never spoke much about that day, other than to say that his tank had sunk, he had been rescued, and was redeployed. He was in his early 20s at the time.


Today marks another anniversary of D-Day, the day that the allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy to begin to take back Europe.   The generation that fought that battle are slowly fading away, leaving only written accounts in their place.

My father is among those who are no longer with us. He and his comrades live on in our hearts as we honor them today during the commemoration of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.  On the occasion of the 72^nd Anniversary, many surviving soldiers have gathered to participate in various events.


  Retracing History

My parents went back to Normandy many years later for the 40^th anniversary observance.  He visited the grave of his commanding officer in the American Cemetery (shown to the left).   Despite all his bravery, that sight moved him to tears. My husband and I returned to Omaha Beach and several historic sites in Normandy, France for the 60^th anniversary.


This was a very moving experience for us as well and it brought to life events which until then was just something we read about in history books.

That trip was in conjunction with a 12 Night British Isles / Norwegian Fjords cruise.   We arranged for a private tour with a local guide during which we walked on the beaches, visited all four of the cemeteries and other memorial sites.

Normandy Then & Now

The benefit of using a local guide was that we not only visited the various sites, but were also provided historical background, through images from 1944 so that we could experience Normandy in a totally different way.

Must See Sites

Our guide picked us from our ship in LeHarve early in the morning and returned us there in early evening.   He could have gone longer, but we were tired and decided to return to the ship instead of having dinner in Honfleur.



74th Anniversary Links:

D-Day 4th anniversary - 2018 - Normandy commemorations

June 2018 Events - Normandy

National D-Day Memorial

 

More Coverage  on Twitter      @ChrisPappinMCC

D-Day Landing - Arnhem (Groesbeek) - Liberation Museum

 

Powerful interactive exhibit on #DDay and #Normandy Invasion from @USNatArchives & @Google is available here: http://goo.gl/ANKFra  #DDay74

 

Explore artifacts, oral histories, and more from The National WWII Museum D-Day: http://bit.ly/DDAY75  (which will be celebrated in 2019)

In honor of this Anniversary of D-Day, we have updated links in our previous blog articles and also gathered all our photo albums on a Shutterfly Share Page.

Read More on our Blog:

Normandy, France - Retracing History

Our tour started with visits to all three cemeteries:

The British Cemetery (Bayuex War Cemetary)
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial
German Cemetery (La Cambe German Cemetery)

Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part 2)

Not far from  Normandy Beaches we stopped at:

Le Grand Bunker Museum 
Pegasus Bridge
 
Normandy, France - Retracing History (Part 3)

We concluded our Normandy visit with three destinations:
St Mere Eglise
Pointe du Hoc
Honfleur, France

D-Day      6 June 1944

The beaches were quiet the day we visited the Normandy Beaches unlike the early morning hours in 1944. I encourage you to include a visit to Normandy should your cruise call in LeHavre, France.  Bring the entire family, especially children, so that they can bring history to life.

 D-Day - A Critical Moment In History



Utah beach    Pointe du Hoc   Omaha beach    Gold beach   Juno beach   Sword beach

Some More D-Day References on the Web

Tuesday June 6, 1944 : minute per minute
Normandie Mémoire
National D-Day Mermorial Foundation
Previous D-Day Posts

 

Hurricane Hunters Not a Job for the Faint of Heart

It's True - They Fly Right into the Eye of a Hurricane

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters of the Air Force Reserve, is one-of-a-kind: the only Department of Defense organization still flying into tropical storms and hurricanes--since 1944.  

The primary mission of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (53rd WRS) is to conduct tropical storm reconnaissance.   Tropical reconnaissance is governed by the National Hurricane Operations Plan. This plan specifics that the 53rd WRS will support 24 hour a day continuous operations and have the ability to fly up to 3 storms at a time with a response time of 16 hours.  Learn more about The Mission


As you can see in the video, it takes special people and equipment to complete these very critical missions.

More Videos:  Flying Into the  Eye of Irma (NOAA Hurricane Hunters)

There are five different flying jobs at the Hurricane Hunters. ALL jobs are part of the Air Force Reserve. Half of the positions are part-time (traditional reservists), and half are full-time (Air Reserve Technicians).  Learn more about The People   Want to know how to become a Hurricane Hunter? Find out here!

Hurricane Season in Atlantic
June 1 - November 30

Cyberflight into the Eye of a Hurricane
Join Us for a Virtual Storm Flight

You're just in time... head across the hall to our auditorium,
and join the crew for the pre-mission briefing ...    

NOAA 2018 Hurricane Predictions

Credit NOAA (click to enlarge)

Predictions for 
2018 Hurricane Season

We've already provided you with Colorado State University's April Prediction for the Atlantic Basin.  NOAA has just released its predictions for the Atlantic Basin, Central and East Pacific regions.

• NOAA Predicts a near- or above-normal 2018 Atlantic hurricane season 
• NOAA Predicts a near- or above-normal 2018 Eastern Pacific hurricane season
• NOAA predicts a near- or above-normal 2018 hurricane season in the central Pacific
• Update on National Hurricane Center Products and Services for 2018

Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Hurricane Season Approaching 

Looking for past & current hurricanes?  Click Image or Here

Looking Back at 2017

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was a hyperactive and catastrophic hurricane season, featuring 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes and 6 major hurricanes – ranking it alongside 1936 as the fifth-most active season since records began in 1851. The season also featured both the highest total accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) and the highest number of major hurricanes since 2005.

In the chart below, the numbers in parenthesis are the averages, so you can easily see that the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season was well above average.  For more details, read  NOAA: Extremely active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season finally ends

Atlantic Basins

Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses)	NOAA 2017 Prediction	2017 Actual
Named Storms (NS) (12.0)	11 - 17	17
Hurricanes (H) (6.5)	5 - 9	10
Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.0)	2 - 4	6
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (92.0)	63 - 103	224

2017 National Hurricane Center Forecast Verification Report

Atlantic Hurricane Outlook & Seasonal Climate Summary Archive

The 2017 Pacific hurricane season was a moderately active Pacific hurricane season, featuring eighteen named storms, nine hurricanes, and four major hurricanes, though the season was significantly less active than the previous three seasons. The season saw near-average activity in terms of ACE, in stark contrast to the extremely active seasons in 2014, 2015, and 2016; and for the first time since 2012, no tropical cyclones formed in the Central Pacific basin. However, for the third year in a row, the season featured above-average activity in July, with the ACE value being the fifth highest for the month.

East Pacific

Forecast Parameter and 1950-2000 Climatology (in parentheses)	NOAA 2017 Prediction	2017 Actual
Named Storms (NS) (9.6)	14 - 20	18
Hurricanes (H) (5.9)	6 - 11	9
Major Hurricanes (MH) (2.3)	3 - 7	4
Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) (96.1)	75 - 145	100

Looking Ahead to 2018

As is customary, the Colorado State University releases its predictions in December and April. See our blog post,  2018 CSU Atlantic Hurricane Prediction, for their 2018 predictions.

(click images to enlarge)  Credit NOAA

Worldwide Tropical Cyclone Name (click link)

Atlantic Basin

Forecasters predict a 35 percent chance of an above-normal season, a 40 percent chance of a near-normal season, and a 25 percent chance of a below-normal season for the upcoming hurricane season, which extends from June 1 to November 30.

NOAA’s forecasters predict a 70-percent likelihood of 10 to 16 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 5 to 9 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 1 to 4 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher). An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which 6 become hurricanes, including 3 major hurricanes.

East Pacific

An 80 percent chance of a near- or above-normal season is predicted for both the eastern and central Pacific regions. The eastern Pacific outlook calls for a 70-percent probability of 14 to 20 named storms, of which 7 to 12 are expected to become hurricanes, including 3 to 7 major hurricanes.

Central Pacific

The central Pacific outlook calls for a 70-percent probability of 3 to 6 tropical cyclones, which includes tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes.

Measuring total seasonal activity: The Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index

ACE - Atlantic / Pacific

click images to enlarge

An important measure of the total overall seasonal activity is the NOAA Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE) index, which accounts for the intensity and duration of named storms and hurricanes during the season.  According to NOAA’s hurricane season classifications, an ACE value above 117% of the 1950-2000 median reflects an above-normal season. An ACE value above 175% of the median reflects an exceptionally active (or hyperactive) season.

Hurricane Season Dates 

Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. The Eastern Pacific hurricane season begins May 15th and also ends November 30th.
Make a Plan (FEMA) 

Read entire series (click here)

More links and information about tropical storms and other weather conditions can be found in the Weather & Hurricane Zone tabs above.


Hurricane Preparedness Week:   
May 6-12, 2018

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Thoughts on Memorial Day 2018

History of Memorial Day: Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. May 30th was chosen for Decoration Day because it was believed that flowers would be in bloom all across the country.

On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes. In the early days of our country, no regulations existed for flying the flag at half-staff and, as a result, there were many conflicting policies. But on March 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a proclamation on the proper times.

You will notice in the collage above, that the flag is flying at half-staff. Those pictures were taken during our visit to the American Cemetary in Normandy, France. It was very moving seeing row after row of graves. For more pictures from our visit to Normandy, see my previous posts on the topic and also our cruise vacations website.

I've mentioned several times in the past about the opportunity to relive history while on a cruise vacation. This is especially true in Europe due to the large battle field from the World Wars. Whether your cruise vacation takes you to Normandy, France or Honolulu, Hawaii, please take some time to visit a historical site and pay your respects to the troops that fought to keep America strong. We have done so on several cruises and of all the trips we've taken, those tend to stand out in my mind. Don't forget to bring you children with you so that they too can learn about war first hand.

As Albert Schweitzer said "... Wargraves are the great communicators of peace ..." Perhaps another more striking quote was by George Santayanan who said "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

And who can forget those immortal words of President John F. Kennedy: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. "

To the brave men and women, living and deceased, who have taken President Kennedy's charge to heart, Thank You for your Service. May we never forget the sacrifices you have made.

Attention Golfers - Feeling Lucky

Join Us for Fun Day of Golf & Prizes 

Bartlett Hills Golf Club & Banquets

800 W. Oneida, Bartlett, IL 60103

June 21, 2018

register:  www.bartlettareachamber.com

I’m sponsoring a Hole-In-One Contest for this year’s Bartlett Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing.

If you get a Hole-In-One on Hole #3, you win $5,000 towards a dream vacation booked through me.

Where would YOU go on YOUR dream vacation 

with $5000 to spend?

Click here to explore resort and cruise options for most popular vacation destinations.

You could also win Travis Mathew $500 online shopping spree, $2000 Complimentary Golf from TeeOff.com or a Luxurious 4-day 3-night Golf Vacation at French Lick Resort.

Where Do You Wanna Go?

$5000 towards Your

Dream Vacation

Could be Yours 

with Hole-In-One

A portion of all Sponsorships goes towards the BACC Scholarship Fund

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