SCR 66, Stone. 71st anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy.
This measure would recognize June 6, 2015, as the 71st anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day. This measure would express the gratitude and appreciation of the Legislature to the members of the United States Armed Forces who participated in D-Day, and would call upon the people of California to observe the anniversary with appropriate reflections and recognition.
WHEREAS, June 6, 2015, marks the 71st anniversary of the invasion at Normandy, France, by the Allied forces, known as Operation Overlord; and
WHEREAS, Before Operation Overlord, the German Army occupied France and the Nazi government had access to the raw materials and industrial capacity of Western Europe; and
WHEREAS, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower called Operation Overlord a “Crusade in Europe,” telling the soldiers, sailors, and airmen who would participate in the operation that “The free men of the world are marching together to victory. I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle”; and
WHEREAS, The naval assault phase on Normandy was code-named “Neptune,” and the June 6th assault date is referred to as D-Day to denote the day on which the invasion was launched; and
WHEREAS, Significant aerial bombardments and operations, including Operation Fortitude, by Allied forces during the weeks and months leading up to and in support of Operation Overlord, played a significant role in the success of the Normandy landings; and
WHEREAS, More than 13,000 soldiers parachuted, and several hundred soldiers in the glider units, participating in Mission Detroit and Mission Chicago, landed behind enemy lines to secure landing fields in the 24 hours preceding the amphibious landing; and
WHEREAS, Soldiers of six divisions, composed of three American, two British, and one Canadian division, stormed ashore in five main landing areas on beaches in Normandy that were code-named “Utah,” “Omaha,” “Gold,” “Juno,” and “Sword”; and
WHEREAS, The D-Day landing was the largest single amphibious assault in history, consisting of approximately 31,000 members of the United States Armed Forces and more than 3,000 vehicles that embarked on 208 vessels from Weymouth and Portland, England; and
WHEREAS, Of the estimated 9,400 casualties incurred by Allied forces on the first day of the landing, an estimated 5,400 casualties were members of the United States Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS, Only five days after the initial landing, Allied forces secured a beachhead that was 50 miles long and 12 miles deep and was occupied by more than 325,000 soldiers; and
WHEREAS, On July 25, 1944, Allied forces launched Operation COBRA to break out of the beachhead and began the liberation of France, which ultimately contributed to the destruction of the Nazi regime on May 7, 1945; and
WHEREAS, Planned for over two years by Allied forces, the D-Day invasion was an intricate coordination of the world’s greatest military forces and an exercise in cooperation that marked the turning point of the war and the world’s history; and
WHEREAS, Members of the “greatest generation” assumed the task of cooperating to free the world from Nazi and Fascist regimes and restore liberty to Europe; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes June 6, 2015, as the 71st anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature expresses its gratitude and appreciation to the members of the United States Armed Forces and the Allied forces who cooperated and sacrificed in this critical battle to secure liberation from the Nazi and Fascist regimes; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature calls upon the people of California to observe the 71st anniversary of D-Day with appropriate reflections of this period of world history and recognition of all those Californians and Americans who have sacrificed for freedom; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
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