[Photo of Omaha Beach from wikipedia]
Tomorrow marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day when the Allies bravely landed in Normandy to begin the liberation of France and to defeat Hitler’s tyranny.
This poem is my tribute to my dear, late father who fought there, that day, along with thousands of other brave soldiers from several countries. May we long remember D-Day and all they sacrificed!
D-DAY, JUNE 6, 1944
Let me tell you a tale
About courage and more,
On D-Day, June 6, 1944,
D-Day was part of the Allied advance,
It was the Normandy invasion,
To liberate France,
But our soldiers also fought
For America to stay free,
And many gave their lives
To quash Nazi tyranny,
The D-Day beaches of Operation Overlord,
Were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword,
Two friends landed on Omaha beach that day,
One came home, the other stayed,
One seaman, Hugh Goolsby, was a young Georgia boy,
His friend, James Vistain, was from Illinois,
Facing relentless gunfire, they ran to reach
The protection of a seawall on Omaha Beach,
Nazi gunners fired down from the cliffs above,
Reaching safety was all the boys could think of,
Hugh made it safely; he was fine,
Poor James died from a Nazi landmine,
Hugh, a medic, tried in vain,
To save his friend, James Vistain,
Onward and onward,
Wave after wave,
Many brave soldiers
Fell into a watery grave,
Brave U.S. Rangers also climbed
The cliffs at Pointe du Hoc,
Eventually, after fierce fighting,
They cleaned each Nazi’s clock!
“D-Day” meant war, with danger and chance,
Thousands died for the liberation of France,
Remember the Alamo, remember the Maine,
And long remember D-Day and every James Vistain!
SOUTHERN WRITER 