Political Quotes

“This week we remember the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Known as Operation Overlord, the D-Day invasion began on the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, on the southern beaches of France, landing at beaches named ``Utah,'' ``Gold,'' ``Sword,'' ``Juno,'' and ``Omaha.'' Over 4,400 Allied soldiers lost their lives that day. The invasion of France allowed Allied troops to establish a beachhead in Western Europe and would go on to change the course of the second great war. Many of the courageous men who fought that day have since passed away, but we still have their recorded oral testimonies and letters to loved ones about the role that they played. Today, I want to read a brief segment of a fellow Mississippian that landed at Normandy shortly after the initial invasion. Bilbo Rodgers, born in Louisville, Mississippi, said this about his service: I was unloading the ships there in France, unloading guns, trucks, and ammunition, food, medical supplies, and all that in France after I got there, but we were still involved in battle because they were shooting at us, trying to kill us. I didn't pull my shoes off in 3 weeks because they didn't allow you to pull them off because you may have to run at any time. We had to sleep in our shoes, and when we were in France, we slept in foxholes. You dig a hole in the ground about 4 feet, and you get down there, you and your partner.…”