WHEREAS, June 6, 2024, marks the 80
th
anniversary of D-Day, the first day of the Allied landing at Normandy during World War II by American, British, and Canadian troops; and
WHEREAS, the D-Day landing, known as Operation Overlord, was the most extensive amphibious operation ever to occur, involving on the first day of the operation 5,000 naval vessels, more than 11,000 sorties by Allied aircraft, and 153,000 members of the Allied Expeditionary Force; and
WHEREAS, the Allied invasion that took place on D-Day involved significant contributions from Delaware veterans including Maurice Kaye of Wilmington who fought with the Provisional Engineer Special Brigade Group, which was part of an early wave of Allied troops that fought on Normandy Beach; and
WHEREAS, the bravery and sacrifices of the Allied troops at 5 separate Normandy beaches and numerous paratrooper and glider landing zones began what Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower called a “Crusade in Europe” to end Nazi tyranny and restore freedom and human dignity to millions of people; and
WHEREAS, 12 Delawareans are recorded to have lost their lives or sustained mortal wounds on D-Day and 40 Delawareans were killed from D-Day through July 31, 1944 during the liberation of France; and
WHEREAS, Delaware veterans such as James Davis, Jr., who died at age 26 in the D-Day invasion at Normandy in 1944, had been posthumously recognized with military honors including the Bronze Service Medal and Purple Heart Medal; and
WHEREAS, Thomas Maloney, a D-Day veteran who passed this February at age 100, exemplified the bravery and commitment of Delawareans who served during WWII, being among the first off the landing craft at Utah Beach during the 1944 D-Day invasion of Normandy; and
WHEREAS, that great assault by sea and air marked the beginning of the end of Hitler’s ambition for world domination; and
WHEREAS, American troops suffered over 6,500 casualties on D-Day; and
WHEREAS, the people of the United States should honor the valor and sacrifices of their fellow countrymen, both living and dead, who fought that day for liberty and the cause of freedom in Europe.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 152
nd
General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that June 6, 2024 is recognized as the 80
th
anniversary of the Allied landing at Normandy during WWII.
