The Greatest Generation - Normandy June 6th, 1944

On June 6th 1944, the Normandy landings, codenamed Operation Neptune, the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord, commenced during World War II. The landings were conducted in two phases: an airborne assault landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armored divisions on the coast of France starting at 6:30 am.

There were also decoy operations under the code names Operation Glimmer and Operation Taxable to distract the German forces from the real landing areas. Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces was General Dwight Eisenhower while overall command of ground forces (21st Army Group) was given to General Bernard Montgomery.

The operation, planned by a team under Lieutenant-General Frederick Morgan, was the largest amphibious invasion in world history and was executed by land, sea, and air elements under direct British command with over 160,000 troops landing on 6 June 1944, 73,000 American troops, 61,715 British and 21,400 Canadian. 195,700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000 ships were involved.

The invasion required the transport of soldiers and material from the United Kingdom by troop-laden aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English Channel and naval fire-support. The landings took place along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword.

Although the actual figures are still uncertain it is estimated that more than 9000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded on June 6th alone. Take a minute today to give thanks and remember the men and women of the allied forces that gallantly fought in this tremendous battle.

There's a chance that history can be made tomorrow when California Chrome runs for the third leg of the Triple Crown in the Belmont Stakes. It has been 36 years since Affirmed won the Triple Crown. Since 1919, only 11 horses have won the Triple Crown, considered the greatest accomplishment a Thoroughbred racehorse can achieve.

I am fortunate to have watched Affirmed (1978), Seattle Slew (1977) and the great Secretariat (1973) win the Triple Crown and I look forward to California Chrome's attempt to become the twelfth horse to win it all.

The News As I See It: The Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs face off in the NBA Finals. It’s the NBA’s annual contest to determine whose city will be set on fire.

Donald Sterling says he won't sue the NBA for forcing him to sell the Clippers for $2 billion. Apparently he decided this after a short meeting where someone explained to him that he was getting $2 billion.

We brought back Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from Afghanistan in trade for five Taliban thugs. These guys were down in Gitmo and now they're released and they get to fly home. I'm thinking, if you go to the airport and you're stuck behind these guys in security, good luck. When the Taliban thugs landed in Qatar, I wonder if they got picked up in a stretch camel.

A candidate for Congress in Arizona, who is white, recently changed his name to Cesar Chavez to appeal to Latino voters. It backfired when Arizona’s governor immediately deported him.

A 13-year-old girl became the youngest female to climb Mount Everest. She didn't mean to. She was just texting her friend and the next thing she knew she was on top of Mount Everest.

This Date In History: 1844; The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) was founded in London, much to the delight of the Village People. 1933; The first drive-in movie theater opened in Camden, New Jersey. 1934; The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was established to protect investors and maintain the integrity of the securities markets. 1944; Thousands of Allied troops invaded the beaches of Normandy, France, on D-Day.

1982; Israel invaded Lebanon to drive out the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). 2001; Vermont Republican Senator James Jeffords left the party to become an independent, handing control of the Senate back to the Democrats. 2002; President Bush proposed a new Cabinet department: The Department of Homeland Security.

Picture Of The Day: The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) You don't see faith healers in hospitals for the same reason you don't see psychics winning the lottery. 2) I was trying to make pancakes this morning and it turns out I didn't get the spatula in the divorce. 3) A recent medical study shows that women who carry a little extra weight generally live longer than the men in their lives who mention it. 4) The secret to enjoying good wine: Open to let it breathe. If it appears not to be breathing, apply mouth to mouth. 5) I changed my car horn to gunshot sounds. People move out of the way much faster now.....and that's five !

Today's Horoscope: Gemini - June 6th: Novel ideas will come to you the entire weekend. Start referring to your bathroom as "the Jim" instead of "the John".  You'll feel so much better saying you went to "the Jim" this morning

Birthdays: My friend Ralfy - Happy Birthday Bud! 19XX, Diego Velázquez, painter 1599, Pierre Corneille, dramatist 1606, Nathan Hale, officer 1755, John Trumbull, painter 1756, Aleksandr Pushkin, poet, dramatist 1799, Alexandra Feodorovna, Czarina 1872, Thomas Mann, German novelist and essayist 1875, Sukarno, statesman 1901, Björn Borg, tennis player 1956.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar And Grill: Julius Caesar was romantically involved with Cleopatra for 14 years. But he never asked her to marry him. Cleopatra felt betrayed and spent years whining about it in public. That's why she was known as the "Egyptian Taylor Swift."

After he dumped Cleo, there were rumors that Julius Caesar fathered an illegitimate child by a housemaid. But those rumors turned out to be false. It was actually Caesar's cousin, Julius Schwarzenegger.

A husband and wife want to take golf lessons from a pro at a local country club. The man and woman meet the pro and head onto the driving range. The man goes up to hit first. He swings and hits the ball 100 yards. The golf pro says, "Not bad. Now hold the club as firm as you hold your wife's breasts". The man follows instructions and hits the ball 300 yards. The golf pro says, "Excellent!"

Now the woman takes her turn. Her ball goes 30 yards. The golf pro says, "Not bad, try holding the club like you hold your husband's penis." She swings and the ball goes 10 yards. The golf pro says, "Not bad, now try taking the club out of your mouth and hit the ball."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming: A man is sitting at home alone when he hears a knock on the front door. When he opens the door, he encounters two sheriff's deputies, one of whom asks if he is married and, if so, whether the deputy can see a picture of the wife.

The man says "sure" and shows him a picture of his wife. The deputy looks carefully at the picture and then gravely says, "I'm sorry sir, but it looks like your wife's been hit by a truck." The guy says, "I know, but she has a great personality, is an excellent cook and lets me play golf whenever I want to!"

A couple decided to Alaska for a romantic weekend. When they got to the cabin, it was cold, so the wife asked her husband to go chop some wood for the fire place.

He came in after 5 minutes and told his wife that his hands were cold, so she said, "Put your hands between my thighs to warm them." So he did and went back outside to finish chopping wood.

He came in after another 5 minutes and said, "Honey my hands are cold again." So she tells him again to put his hands between her thighs to warm them. He did and then he went back out to chop some more wood.

5 minutes passed and he went in again and said, "Honey my hands are cold again." His wife said, "Damn, don't your ears ever get cold?"

That's it for today, my little doodle bugs. Remember, when your mother-in-law says she needs a new broom, it's best not to ask if she crash landed the old one. I'm heading over to AREA 51 for happy hour.

Have a great weekend and more on Monday.

Stay Tuned !