American Patriots
There were 57,500 brave American patriots from all 48 states (Alaska and Hawaii joined the Union in 1959) among the 132,000 allied troops who were sent into France by landing craft. They were ready to take on the German forces and sacrifice their lives for freedom. I’m curious if these young men were aware of the nature of the battle they were about to enter.
“Good Luck Boys”
As he bids farewell and good luck to the brave men of the United States 101st Airborne division or “The Screaming Eagles” as they prepared to make a daring jump into enemy territory on the evening of June 6, 1944, this photograph captures General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s gentle smile as he says goodbye and good luck. These men had been training for more than a year at that point and were prepared to take on the Germans head-on.