Commemoration: 1944 D-Day 75th Anniversary

6-5-19, President Trump and First Lady Melania gathered with many world leaders including Queen Elizabeth II and Germany's Angela Merkel gathered on the south coast of England to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, honoring the remaining  300 veterans, aged 91 to 101 of the Allied forces who were also in attendance who risked their lives in the invasion that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. British Prime Minister Theresa May  said: "The Normandy landings 75 years ago were a moment of historic international cooperation. And it is right that at the heart of today's commemorations are the veterans who fought to secure the liberty and the peace that we now enjoy."

The event begins two days of D-Day anniversary observances as tribute to the troops who shaped history during the dangerous mission to reach beachheads and fight in German-occupied France.
President Trump read an excerpt of the prayer given on June 6, 1944 by President Franklin Roosevelt.

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President Franklin Roosevelt's D-Day, June 6, 1944 Prayer as Allied troops were invading German-occupied Europe during World War II. The prayer was read to the United States nation on radio on the evening of D-Day, while American, British and Canadian troops were fighting to establish five beach heads on the coast of Normandy in northern France. The previous night, June 5, 1944 the President had also been on the radio to announce that Allied troops had entered Rome. The spectacular news that Rome had been liberated was quickly superceded by news of the gigantic D-Day invasion which began at 6:30 a.m. on June 6, 1944. By midnight, about 57,000 American and 75,000 British and Canadian soldiers had made it ashore, amid 4400 allied losses that included 2,500 Americans killed and 8,500 wounded.

LET OUR HEARTS BE STOUT!
"My Fellow Americans:
Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity. Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph. They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest -- until the victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's souls will be shaken with the violences of war. For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.
And for us at home -- fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them -- help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.
Give us strength, too -- strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces. And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever they may be.
And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons; faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of temporal matters of but fleeting moment -- let not these deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace -- a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil. Thy will be done, Almighty God.  Amen."
​-- US President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Source: www.historyplace.com/speeches/fdr-prayer.htm