Andrea Joy Campbell: “June 6, 1999, was the 55th Anniversary of the historic Allied invasion of Europe on the beaches of Normandy, France…”

“June 6, 1999, was the 55th Anniversary of the historic Allied invasion of Europe on the beaches of Normandy, France, that spelled the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany. In America today, with unprecedented prosperity and material comfort, it is hard to appreciate the American experience leading up to World War II and the war itself. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, the United States was not only caught off guard, we were also caught unprepared for the war that loomed in Europe and in the Pacific that would involve the United States for 5 long years. Still plagued by the Great Depression, unemployment sky high and poverty all around, Americans accepted the challenge and responded like no people ever had. With scrap metal drives, rubber drives, gasoline and food rationing, and other efforts American men and women pulled together and contributed to the massive war effort. Americans of all races, creeds, colors, and backgrounds joined the military, worked in industrial plants, and assisted in too many ways to mention as the nation joined together to battle tyranny and oppression. America's economic and military might was called on to produce hundreds of thousands of planes, tanks, trucks, ships, boats, and weapons. We not only produced the materials for our own efforts but kept our Allies supplied with civilian and military goods to ensure an Allied victory.”