[Pages H4337-H4338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1130
                 RECOGNIZING 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF D-DAY

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of 
the 75th anniversary of the Allied D-Day invasion of France, to honor 
the bravery of our Armed Forces who served in that operation.
  On June 6, 1944, 73,000 Americans took part in Operation Overlord to 
storm the beaches of Normandy. Sadly, the United States suffered more 
than 6,000 casualties in this operation. Ultimately, thousands more 
U.S. servicemembers would fall in the coming weeks and months 
liberating the rest of Western Europe from German control.
  Madam Speaker, last year I attended a wreath laying ceremony at the 
Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in France. Looking out among 
the white crosses, one could see fathers buried next to sons and 
brothers next to brothers. The average age of those who perished was 
just 19 years old.

[[Page H4338]]

  This memorial serves as a constant reminder that the United States 
will fight and die to protect the freedoms of not just American 
citizens, but for those around the globe. We are eternally grateful for 
this devotion to duty and devotion to country.

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