D-Day

Floor Speech

Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, as all of us know, tomorrow, June 6, marks the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings, which we have come to know as D-day. D-day, of course, was the greatest military operation in history--one that brought together 150,000 troops, 5,000 ships, and 13,000 aircraft in a sweeping attack on Nazi-occupied France and marked the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich. The Allied Powers, of course, united as one and changed the course of history. It was our troops and our allies who freed a continent from the clutches of tyranny and our troops who helped win a war.

As a country, it is important that we recall occasions such as the 70th anniversary of the Normandy invasion and D-day because the greatest danger is that we forget--we forget about the face of evil and what it means to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--but it also means we need to remind ourselves on a regular basis about the heroism and courage and sacrifice of the people who gave all they had, including their lives, in order to preserve for us what we now have and what we too often take for granted.

We often hear that freedom is not free, and, of course, we all agree with that, but it almost has become a cliche, and it should not be. When we think about our freedom, we ought to think about those men who stormed the beaches at Normandy, many of whom lost their lives. We must always remember those who fought in places such as Iwo Jima and ran into a buzz saw of enemy fire, many of whom never came back. We need to remember those important events on a day such as this, and we need to tell the story not only to remind ourselves, but we also need to tell the story to our children and grandchildren because they will, before long, have a responsibility for preserving this great experiment we have had in America for over 230 years--a self-governing democracy that has been purchased by the blood and the treasure of those who have gone on before. The free world as we know it owes its existence to the courage, grit, and sacrifice of those who fought in places like Normandy, and, of course, they will not be forgotten.

For me personally, I can't help but think about Normandy--which my wife and I had an opportunity to visit a few years ago--without thinking of my father-in-law, who landed on Utah Beach on the second day of the Normandy invasion. He said that after the first day it was much easier to get on the beach, but the effort to clear out the German Army and the hedgerows was murderous work and very dangerous. Thankfully, he came home, like so many, as part of the ``greatest generation'' that helped to build America into the powerhouse we are today.

My father-in-law passed away recently at the age of 96 and lived a long and rewarding life. But I can't let the occasion pass without remembering him as one of those brave men who stormed the beaches at Normandy 70 years ago.

Of course, there is another chilling number when we think about World War II. Fifty million people lost their lives during World War II. It was the bloodiest conflict in the history of the world--50 million people.

During World War II, of course, we recall that brutal dictators and totalitarian ideologies threatened the very existence of the civilized world, and we are reminded of people like Adolf Hitler and what he did and what other countries did in response either by way of appeasement or by way of challenging his aggression. And then we know about the war, of course, following the Pearl Harbor attack in Hawaii. America had to fight wars on two fronts--one in Asia and the other in Europe.

When the United States crossed the Atlantic and joined its allies on the beach of Normandy, the rescue of Europe had begun. History tells us that the weather and conditions that day were harsh. In fact, one soldier described the battle as everything going wrong from the beginning. Without a doubt, they knew what awaited them there, and they were not deterred.

You might wonder, as I have from time to time, what it took for our men and women in uniform to charge a beach occupied by the German military in France. What could have inspired the kind of courage we have seen?

Well, I had occasion to read a book a few years ago, as perhaps other colleagues have, written by James McPherson. It is called ``For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War.'' When you learn about the brutality of the Civil War and how many people lost their lives and, indeed, the likelihood of losing your life--being tragically injured, acquiring an infection, and then losing your life in some of the most painful and horrendous ways you can imagine--it was instructive for me to realize not only did they fight for our country, but they fought for each other as well, which, of course, is the lesson of all wars--fighting for a cause and fighting for each other.

Undeniably, much of the success on D-day was the result of a great strategy and plan by American war planners, including a man born in Denison, TX, by the name of Dwight David Eisenhower, who served as the Supreme Allied Commander.

I see my colleague from Kansas on the floor, and I know Kansas lays claim to Dwight D. Eisenhower, but I want to state here on the floor of the Senate that he was born in Denison, TX, and not in Kansas, although we are proud to share his legacy between both of our States and as a country.

General Eisenhower's address to the troops on the eve of the landing stands as one of the most memorable exhortations to bravery in the face of evil in the annals of world history. I would like to take a moment to read some of those words.

Here is what General Eisenhower wrote:

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark on a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you.

He continued:

The free men of the world are marching together to victory! I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

At a different time, Eisenhower once said: ``Morale is the single most important factor in successful wars.'' Morale was what united the Allied Powers--not the desire to conquer real estate but the desire to defeat the tyrants of Europe, to liberate the prisoners of war and those in concentration camps, and to forever defeat the evil ideology that motivated Adolf Hitler and his ilk.

We know the world we live in is always filled with great uncertainty and, unfortunately, with evil men and those who would smash democracy and self-government under the boot heel of dictators and tyrants. So while we always pray fervently for peace, we must also be ready to defeat tyrants, dictators, and those who would crush democracy under their boot heel. D-day reminds us that the United States can and should always stand with our friends against terror and tyranny.

Back home in Texas, we have another reminder of this day. For the first time since the war, the battle flag that was raised above the USS Texas as it entered the waters off Point du Hoc on June 6, 1944, is now on public display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in honor of D-day's 70th anniversary. Crewman Emil Saul, who was aboard the USS Texas, preserved the flag for 48 years and gave it to the museum in 1992. Now possessing the space and conditions to properly exhibit the flag, the museum has made this flag public for the first time in honor of the 70th anniversary of D-day. This flag, of course, symbolizes the valor our troops demonstrated that day and makes sure future generations will never, ever forget their sacrifices.

I yield the floor.

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