A young man from New Jersey, my dad was waiting with his Army unit in England for the orders to invade France along with thousands of other soldiers.

In my book GREAT EVENTS IN AMERICAN HISTORY, I wrote about that turning point in World War II, which happened on June 6, 1944. General Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a field order in which he encouraged the troops to rely on God for strength to get through what would be a bloody encounter with the Germans. He told them, “Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened. He will fight savagely. . . (Therefore) beseech the blessings of Almighty God on this great and noble undertaking.”

President Franklin Roosevelt also led the nation in a time of intercession saying, “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.”

Around midnight on June 6, the Allied air attack began, followed by an amphibious landing in waters so rough that the Germans didn’t think the assault would happen on that day. Over 130,000 men landed–the biggest single day invasion ever–and nearly 5,000 Americans died.

Today I’d like to pay tribute to all the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy. And I’d like to say “Happy Birthday, Dad. I’m mighty thankful that you made it back.”