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Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy, France -- the pivotal battle that changed the course of World War II. Much attention will be paid this week to those who took part in D-Day, including the man who planned the invasion: General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who grew up in Abilene. Kansas Public Radio's J. Schafer has more.
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Learn more about the D-Day invasion -- and hear more from KU History Professor Adrian Lewis -- in this episode of KPR Presents with Kaye McIntyre.
1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Commemorate 75th Anniversary of D-Day
The 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley will commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day with a remembrance ceremony on Thursday, June 6, at 4 p.m. The ceremony pays tribute to the 1st Infantry Division's 316 Soldiers killed on June 6, 1944, during the historic invasion that led to Allied victory in World War II. The ceremony features the reading of the names of the fallen, remarks by Brig. General Todd Wasmund, 1st Infantry Division Deputy Commanding General for Support, and a 21-gun salute fired by the 1st Infantry Division Artillery.
The ceremony is part of the Department of Defense's worldwide anniversary commemoration known as "DDAY75." A contingent of 1st Infantry Division troops are in France as an honor guard to U.S. and French ceremonies commemorating the invasion. The 1st Infantry Division commanding general, Major General John S. Kolasheski, is leading this team and will represent the division at the official ceremony at the U.S. Omaha Beach Cemetery.
Fort Riley Soldiers will also participate in commemoration activities at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene. As a U.S. Army general, President Eisenhower planned and commanded the invasion in 1944. Another group of Fort Riley Soldiers will participate in a table-top war game meant to replicate the decisions faced by commanders preparing for the
invasion.
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Remembering D-Day and the Abilene Man Who Planned the Invasion
Thursday marks the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, France, one of the most important battles of World War II. The man who made the call to begin the invasion, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, grew up in Abilene, the third son of pacifist Mennonite parents. Kansas Public Radio's J. Schafer has more.
Today, visitors can tour Dwight Eisenhower's boyhood home in Abilene and visit his presidential library, museum and the chapel, where he and his wife Mamie are buried.
