Counting the Cost for the Preservation of Freedom

With Memorial Day just behind us, and the 63rd anniversary of D-Day just days away, I thought it apropos to reflect briefly on what took place in western Europe in the summer of 1944. What began on the beaches of France on the morning of June 6th, and stretched to the River Seine, the Battle of Normandy, as it became known, was the largest offensive waged by Allied forces against Nazism in Europe.

While victory in Europe was insured by this assault, it did not come without a tremendous cost. When the Battle of Normandy ended on August 25, 1944, a total of 29,000 American G.I.s were dead, along with 11,000 British and 5,000 Canadian soldiers. In order to put this into perspective, by comparison, the fighting in Iraq over the last four years has resulted in deaths of 3,487 American soldiers, along with 276 of those from other coalition forces. (source)

We will never forget! (video)