Remembering D-Day:Ronald Reagan: These Are the Boys of Pointe du Hoc

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. And these are the heroes who helped end a war. Gentlemen, I look at you and I think of the words of Stephen Spender’s poem. You are men who in your “lives fought for life and left the vivid air signed with your honor.” ~President Reagan on June 6, 1984, at the Ceremony Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of D-Day

By Gary P Jackson

June 6, 1944, the allied armies launched the greatest amphibious assault in the history of mankind. This was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

The bravery of the men who stormed those beeches and climbed those cliffs can never be overstated. Those men were all heroes.

For more images of Pointe du Hoc as well as video, click here.

In 1984, to honor the 40th anniversary of the invasion, President Ronald Reagan traveled to Normandy and gave what is still one of the most moving tributes we’ve seen.

As we remember those brave men who stormed those beeches, running headlong into machine gun fire and grenades, I long for the day when America had such an elegant President and strong Commander-in-Chief.

If you’re looking for a movie to remember our heroes with today, I suggest skipping Saving Private Ryan and going straight to The Longest Day, a true classic and one of the best war films ever made.

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