Focused on Omaha

Frog Fans, like you, I’ve been thinking about Omaha a lot lately. This weekend at Lupton Stadium is already historic and could be an epic one for Coach Schloss and his crew. 

Go get ‘Em!

But take a moment with me on this June 6th. And remember.

D-Day.

I woke up early this morning, went out in the front yard and took down my TCU flag that flies there most every day and put up the American flag to honor all those Allied soldiers who landed on the coast of France 70 years ago this morning. Their efforts, sacrifice and the surprise attack were the beginning of the end of World War II.

Operation Overlord was the official name of the largest amphibious invasion to ever take place. The target was a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coast that was well-protected by Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.

It began in the early morning with landings on five beaches named Juno, Gold, Utah, Sword …and Omaha. And onto the beaches they went, into a man-made hell with German gun emplacements above the beaches. 

Along the shore, mines, wooden stakes, metal tripods, barbed wire all had to be dodged while bullets rained down from above. Many were mowed down before they ever made it to the beach. 

And they kept coming. 

By afternoon, the Allies owned the beachheads and the invasion was in high gear.

It was no doubt the big play of World War II, and it’s my father’s generation that made it happen. Tech Sergeant Joe D. Denton of the U.S. Army Air Corps was based California on D-Day, working on the XP-59 fighter project - the first American jet fighter.

He is now 89.

I’m going to see him today in Dallas and tell him thanks.

Stats show that World War II vets are dying at the rate of about 1,000 a day. Find one that you know today and thank them. They saved the world.

Omaha.

On this day it has two meanings.

Kick ‘Em High!