Rob Portman: “today is a very important day in American history, June 6, the anniversary of D-day. One of the most important and…”

“today is a very important day in American history, June 6, the anniversary of D-day. One of the most important and consequential battles of World War II occurred on that day. Every year I have served in this body, I have a practice of coming to the floor and reciting the famous D-day Prayer that Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered to the Nation on the morning of June 6, 1944. It was a consequential battle in the sense that it really marks the beginning of the end of World War II, the beginning of the end of Hitler. It is my favorite Presidential statement. Seventy-eight years ago, as the American people slept in their beds, the greatest naval invasion in history began and the Greatest Generation was born. On that fateful day, tens of thousands of American soldiers, sailors, and airmen joined our allies from around the world to begin what General Eisenhower called the ``Great Crusade,'' one that sought to free a continent and liberate millions from the grip of tyranny. They came by amphibious landing craft, by gliders laden with men and material, by parachutes deployed deep behind enemy lines. And on the beaches called places like Omaha and Utah and at the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc, they struck a mortal blow to the Nazi regime. Thousands would give their lives for this cause--over 2,500 Americans alone.…”