Reagan's D-Day Tribute

On the 67th anniversary of that epic day, Reagan's words delivered on the 40th anniversary still stand out as the best tribute to the bravery and sacrifice which made D-Day a success!


Cue the player to the 6:29 mark and watch as President Reagan visibly chokes up as he reads the words of Lisa Zanatta Henn, who wrote the words honoring her father and his service. The words spoken are not those which flicker past on a telepromper but come from the heart.

PRESIDENT REAGAN: Lisa Zanatta Henn began her story by quoting her father, who promised that he would return to Normandy. She ended with a promise to her father, who died 8 years ago of cancer: ``I'm going there, Dad, and I'll see the beaches and the barricades and the monuments. I'll see the graves, and I'll put flowers there just like you wanted to do. I'll feel all the things you made me feel through your stories and your eyes. I'll never forget what you went through, Dad, nor will I let anyone else forget. And, Dad, I'll always be proud.'

Earlier in the day President Reagan met with surviving veterans of the Rangers who took the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. The speech, was equally moving, but the following photo sums up the moment perfectly:

God Bless the veterans who gave so much on D-Day for the freedom and hopes of a world scarred by appeasement, war and evil. On this anniversary, let us rededicate ourselves to that bloody memory and the lessons learned so that we may never again be called to repeat such an awful task!