The month of June has some very important days here are just a few.
June 6th D-Day, The Invasion of Normandy. Some History: General Dwight Eisenhower selected June 5 1944 as the date for the invasion; however, bad weather on the days leading up to the operation caused it to be delayed for 24 hours. On June 6th he gave the go-ahead for Operation Overlord. He told the troops, “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. By dawn on June 6th, thousands of paratroopers and glider troops were already on the ground behind enemy lines, securing bridges and exit roads. The amphibious invasions began at 6:30am. The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture beaches code named Gold, Juno. and Sword, as did the Americans Utah Beach. U.S. forces faced heavy resistance at Omaha Beach, where there were 2,000 American causalities. However by days end approximately 156,000 Allied troops had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches. According to some estimates more than 4,000 Allied troops lost their lives in the D-Day Invasion, with thousands more wounded or missing. Note. The Normandy America Cemetery, overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel, was established on June 8, 1944 as the first U.S. Cemetery in Europe during World War 11. It holds the graves of more than 9,300 U.S.Servicemen who died in the D-Day invasion and various subsequent missions.
* June 14th Flag Day.
* June 14th U.S. Army Birthday.
* June 18th Fathers Day.
* June 23rd United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Birthday.
* June 27th PTSD Awareness Day.
House VA Budget Hearing
The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing on Wednesday to discuss the president’s budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Secretary of Veterans Affairs David J. Shulkin expanded on the administration’s priorities for the year, such as expanded Choice for veterans, modernizing VA systems, focusing resources more efficiently, improving timeliness of services and suicide prevention. The VFW and its Independent Budget co-authors submitted testimony in support of increased funding for VA and many of the administration’s priorities for the year, but informed Congress of the VFW’s opposition to the elimination of Individual Unemployability for certain veterans and the proposed reduction in cost-of-living adjustments for veterans’ benefits. Committee members inquired about these topics and VA’s IT plans, and what steps it is taking to adopt commercial systems to replace outdated and costly IT systems.
POW/MIA Update
Navy Coxswain Verne F. Knipp, 22, of Salida, Colo., was buried May 26, in Auburn, Calif. Knipp was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.
Navy Musician 1st Class Elliot D. Larsen, 25, of Monroe, Utah, was buried May 26 in his hometown. Larsen was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.
Navy Fireman 3rd Class Glaydon I.C. Iverson, 24, of Emmons, Minn., was buried May 27 in his hometown. Iverson was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island, Pearl Harbor.
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Frederick P. Crosby, 31, of Lockport, N.Y., will be buried May 28 in San Diego, Calif. Crosby, an RF-8A pilot, flew a bomb damage assessment mission over Thanh Hoa Province, North Vietnam, on June 1, 1965.
Army Pfc. Everett E. Johnson, 21, of Cincinnati, will be buried May 29 in Madisonville, Ohio. Johnson was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division located near Taegu, South Korea. On Sept. 3, 1950, Johnson was killed during the attack.
Army Pfc. Thomas C. Stagg, 21, of Jefferson, Ala., will be buried May 29 in Birmingham, Ala. Stagg was a member of Company K, 3rd Battalion, 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment. On Nov. 29, 1950, Stagg could not be accounted for and he was declared killed in action.
Marine Corps Reserve Cpl. Henry Andregg, Jr., was assigned to Company C, 2nd Amphibious Tractor Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. On Nov. 20, 1943, Andregg’s unit landed on the small island of Betio in the Tarawa . Interment services are pending.
Marine Corps Reserve Pfc. Sam J. Kourkos was assigned to Company M, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division. Reported missing on Nov. 20, 1943. Interment services are pending.
Till next week, praying for all service members.
– Charles Castelluccio
