Reflections on the 65th Anniversary of D-Day

This weekend, our nation and our allies in Europe paused to recognize thousands of brave Americans who stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. The daring attack on Nazi strongholds in the north of occupied France remains the largest single-day amphibious assault ever recorded, with more than 160,000 American and allied troops storming the 50-mile stretch of beachhead.

More than 1,400 brave American troops lost their lives in the day's fighting, many during the initial assault, as Nazi machine gun positions peppered the allied landing craft.

Marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day on Saturday, President Barack Obama and VA Secretary Eric Shinseki joined a contingent of WWII veterans to honor the fallen in a special ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, overlooking Omaha Beach. The cemetery is the final resting place for more than 9,300 American and allied service members who made the ultimate sacrifice on D-Day and the ensuing operations to liberate France from Nazi occupation.

On D-Day, AMVETS posts and department around the country gathered to recognize the sacrifices of Americans who served on the Western Front in WWII--especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy.

Born out of WWII, AMVETS will continue to pay special tribute to the sacrifices of our nation's Greatest Generation. The men who fought at Normandy truly embody the best of what our nation's military has done to secure the freedoms we cherish today.

(Photos, Top: Soldiers from the Army's 1st Division storm Omaha Beach from a U.S. Coast Guard landing vessel on D-Day, June 6, 1944. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Photographer's Mate Robert F. Sargent, released. Bottom: President Obama shakes hands with D-Day veteran Clyde Combs on Saturday's 65th anniversary of D-Day at Normandy American Cemetery in France. U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, released.)

This Week at American Veteran

This week at American Veteran, we will highlight the VA's need to properly implement the Uniformed Mental Health Care Services Handbook by September 2009. Recently, AMVETS testified on the new VA standards and the poor compliance numbers to this point. We will look in depth at the issue and why proper implementation is critical in meeting the needs of the veterans' community.

We will also keep you up to date on pending legislation and Wednesday's House VA Committee mark-up on several key veterans' bills.

We will also reflect on the 65th anniversary of D-Day, which took place on Saturday. AMVETS posts and departments from around the country gathered this weekend to honor those who fought in the key battle and many of America's heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy.

Also, check in for updates on this summer's AMVETS National Convention and the AMVETS Symposium for 21st Century Veterans.

As always, we are looking for reader submissions for Keeping Posted and Women in Service content so that we can highlight the work of our organization nationwide.