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Just prior to leaving England for the Invasion in June 1944, each serviceman (air, sea, land) was given a copy of Eisenhower's Order of the Day.
The original:
Despite heavy casualties, the Invasion forces weren't driven back into the Channel; Ike didn't have to use the apology statement he'd prepared in advance, thinking the invasion would likely fail. Operation Tiger, the run-through in England back in April, had been a disaster. Ike kept the statement in his pocket during the early days of the Invasion. Note how he wrote the wrong month.
He talked with many of the paratroops prior to departure. They were told in advance to respect the General, and give him their name, rank, and serial number soon as he met them.
When Ike went to each one, he said he didn't care about the rank or number. He wanted to know where they were from, what their families did, what they wanted to do when they get back home after the war.
As he exercised power over others, he remembered that they're his fellows, and treated each one with respect. And he knew that they were probably more scared that they'd ever been in their lives.
His BBC radio address to Europe as the Invasion began:
https://youtu.be/WEyCjN9riiY
I just watched a re-creation of an Invasion parachute drop a few hours ago on BBCTV. As the young guys landed, they gathered their chutes and walked over to WW2 veteran paratroops, most in wheelchairs. The young guys saluted the vets.
Honorable men.
The original:
Despite heavy casualties, the Invasion forces weren't driven back into the Channel; Ike didn't have to use the apology statement he'd prepared in advance, thinking the invasion would likely fail. Operation Tiger, the run-through in England back in April, had been a disaster. Ike kept the statement in his pocket during the early days of the Invasion. Note how he wrote the wrong month.
He talked with many of the paratroops prior to departure. They were told in advance to respect the General, and give him their name, rank, and serial number soon as he met them.
When Ike went to each one, he said he didn't care about the rank or number. He wanted to know where they were from, what their families did, what they wanted to do when they get back home after the war.
As he exercised power over others, he remembered that they're his fellows, and treated each one with respect. And he knew that they were probably more scared that they'd ever been in their lives.
His BBC radio address to Europe as the Invasion began:
https://youtu.be/WEyCjN9riiY
I just watched a re-creation of an Invasion parachute drop a few hours ago on BBCTV. As the young guys landed, they gathered their chutes and walked over to WW2 veteran paratroops, most in wheelchairs. The young guys saluted the vets.
Honorable men.