‘Big Red One' D-Day sacrifices remembered 78 years later
Matthew Self - Yesterday 9:34 PM
NORMANDY, FRANCE (KSNT) – Inhabitants of a town in France remembered the 78th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy on Friday.
Fort Riley has a special connection to the events that took place on the northern coast of France on June 6, 1944. Members of the 1st Infantry Division, also known as “Big Red One,” stormed Omaha Beach on that day under their division’s motto of “No mission too difficult. No sacrifice too great. Duty first!”
During the massive amphibious assault, designated Operation Neptune, 2,400 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division made the ultimate sacrifice. However, thanks to their bravery on the battlefield, they cleared the path for over 34,000 Allied troops who were able to land on the beach by the end of the day. In subsequent days, members of Big Red One moved further inland and continued to fight the enemy. By the end of the campaign, 17 men were awarded the Medal of Honor.
Three monuments stand on the beaches of Normandy in honor of the 1st Infantry Division soldiers: the Signal Monument, the Charles Shay Indian Memorial and the 1st Infantry Division Monument.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/big-red-one-d-day-sacrifices-remembered-78-years-later/ar-AAYkuNp?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=ae5b11464d9a40b88c6b44d58a4895d5
