D-Day 80-Year Anniversary Is A Powerful Reminder Of American Sacrifice And Power

Thursday marks the 80-year anniversary of D-Day, and it's a great reminder of the sacrifice Americans make to defend freedom.

On the murky morning of June 6, 1944, more than 300,000 total Allied personnel conducted the greatest beach landing invasion in the history of warfare.

German dictator Adolf Hitler held a tight grip on Europe for years during WWII. Under his oppression, innocent people were slaughtered, the German military ran roughshod over the continent and freedom had been extinguished.

The day of liberation had arrived.

Thursday marks the 80-year anniversary of D-Day. (Credit: Getty Images)

Americans kicked down the front door of Europe on June 6, 1944.

Not long after midnight, soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division and 82nd Airborne Division began dropping from the sky scattered across the region to begin combat operations against German forces. Many landed without their weapons thanks to the idiotic leg bags they were given before going.

Despite the insane anarchy and carnage unfolding on the ground, soldiers from both divisions started hammering German positions, taking out German artillery and cause general chaos and confusion. The plan was underway and working.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower addresses airborne soldiers prior to D-Day. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

Next up was the beach landings. Around 5:00 a.m., a giant naval force began shelling the hell out of German defenses and positions to soften up the beaches ahead of the landings at 6:30 a.m. at Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

Freedom had arrived and farm kids from the Midwest carrying Thompson submachine guns and M1 rifles stormed the beaches running directly at heavily defended and well-armed German positions.

Machine gun fire poured down on the Allied forces. Omaha Beach turned into a scene out of a horror movie as American soldiers were cut down fighting like hell to take ground to create a beachhead. The sand was stained reaad with the blood of American patriots who took their last breath freeing strangers in a foreign land.

And that's a spirit we should never forget. A total of 4,426 men were killed and countless more were injured so that the Allies could take Normandy and start pushing back the Germans.

Young American men who should have been busy working in factories or on farms were firing rifles at German soldiers as their friends died around them. Instead of being home with their families, they were crawling through liquid that had been their best friend's guts minutes before. A kind of horror words can't describe was unfolding in all directions.

6th June 1944:  US Army troops crowd into a navy landing craft infantry ship during the D-Day Invasion of Normandy, France, World War II.  (Photo by US Navy/Getty Images)

And yet, American soldiers and our allies kept pushing forward. They kept fighting. They kept advancing. Not one damn step backwards.

By the time the German artillery fell silent and the machine guns went quiet, the world had changed forever. America had arrived, and the Germans learned our resolve wasn't to be tested.

Hitler thought he could conquer the world. Instead, a bunch of young American men smashed his forces. France would soon be free and the Germans were on the run.

There are plenty of people who want to criticize America, and like any country, we're not without our flaws. However, this is the greatest country on Earth with the greatest people on Earth. We could have sat out WWII in Europe. Instead, when the innocent people of Europe cried out for a savior, young American men grabbed their guns and without hesitation, ran into machine gun fire to liberate a continent they'd otherwise never visit. 

6th June 1944:  Reinforcements disembarking from a landing barge at Normandy during the Allied Invasion of France on D-Day.  (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

On this day, crack and a beer and raise a toast to all the heroes of D-Day who saved the world from Hitler and the Nazis. On this day, we remember their incredible sacrifice and heroic actions. We owe them all a debt that can never be repaid, but we can make sure they're never forgotten. Let me know your thoughts on D-Day at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.