Bill Johnson on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day

Statement

Congressman Bill Johnson (R-Marietta) released the following statement after attending the 75th anniversary ceremony of the D-Day invasion in Normandy:

If you haven't been to Normandy and Omaha Beach, it is impossible to describe the scene and the range of emotions one feels. I was privileged enough to be here for the first time this morning.

Today, the United States remembers and reflects on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. There are reminders everywhere here that clearly illustrate that the many freedoms and privileges we enjoy didn't come for free - they came at a great cost and sacrifice by our fallen heroes and their families. Over the last 241 years, heroic Americans have protected our freedoms and liberties across the globe by paying the ultimate sacrifice -- but nowhere is it more evident than along these coasts of France. Looking at the sea and the cliffs, it is unfathomable to comprehend what was accomplished. It was…but, the cost in human life was terribly high - over 9,000 Americans are buried here.

The course of mankind was forever changed - for the better - on June 6, 1944, as brave Americans and our Allies undertook the largest seaborne invasion in history and landed in Normandy to free the world from Hitler's tyranny. Twenty years later, on a visit here in 1964, President Dwight Eisenhower said, "These people gave us a chance. And they bought time for us, so we can do better than we have before." I thought about that quote today as I met some of those brave men who took part in the invasion. They, along with their fellow soldiers who never made it home, will be honored today and always by the country they served and the nations they freed.

I was extremely proud to be here today - not as a congressman, but as an American. It is a day I will never, ever forget.

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