Commemorating D-Day, June 6, 1944 Redux

Last year at this time, I had a lot of requests to post videos commemorating the anniversary of D-Day. This was hugely popular, receiving over 60,000 reads. As such, it seems fitting to revive it on the 64th anniversary.

First up, a new one, embedded right, FDR's speech to the nation that day. Next up, this one was supposedly created by an eighth-grader for a history project. Really fabulous.

Finally, as no film out of Hollywood has better captured what happened 64 years ago on Omaha Beach, the opening scene from "Saving Private Ryan" is available in four parts here, here, here, and here.

No such commemoration would be complete without Abraham Lincoln's famous letter to Mrs. Lydia Bixby on the unfortunate occasion of her having lost her fifth son during the Civil War:

Executive Mansion,
Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.

Dear Madam,--

I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.

I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

A. Lincoln

Some friends of NewsBusters had their own D-Day tributes last year that deserve a look as well:

• Mary Katharine Ham "I am often at a loss for words when writing about a time when we were at no loss for heroes."
• Ace of Spades Slublog quotes Gen. Eisenhower's famous pre-invasion speech.
• NewsBuckit (Reagan's 40th anniversary of D-Day speech)