I don't want to get any messages saying 'I'm holding my position.' We are not holding a damned thing except the enemy's b***s!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gen. George S. Patton
80 years ago today. D-Day. A pivotal event not only in WW2 but in world history in general. It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of the world hinged on the success of that operation, and the accounts of heroism and bravery have filled volumes. We pause today to give thanks for those who fought, for their sacrifice, and for the many families who never saw their particular hero again.
One of the lesser known heroes was a man named Andrew Jackson Higgins. If you're not familiar with him, you're in good company, but to this day, we all owe him a debt of gratitude for his foresight and ingenuity. Higgins had the foresight to see what the brass at the U.S. Navy could not. The Navy continued to press for more destroyers and battleships---and rightly so---but Higgins figured out that for the large-scale land invasion that seemed inevitable, the big ships could not get troops close enough to the shore. Against considerable resistance, Higgins designed and advocated for a smaller craft with a flat bottom and a flat bow that was made to drop down to enable troops to make a quick mass exit. And thus was born the LCVP: the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel, which came to be known more commonly as the "Higgins boat."
The larger vessels crossed the English Channel under cover of darkness. Then, as thousands upon thousands of troops boarded their Higgins boats, the big ships bombarded the coastline to help prepare it for the landing troops. In his book, D-Day: The Climactic Battle of World War II, Stephen Ambrose quotes Gen. Eisenhower who said that "Andrew Higgins...is the man who won the war for us. ...f Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different." High praise indeed.
As indebted as we are to Andrew Higgins, is there a life lesson here for all of us? JFK said that "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." At one time or another, we've all said, at least to ourselves, that we want to make a difference. Young people say that a lot, just like we did. Then life intervenes. We didn't find a cure for cancer, or create the iPhone. The idealism of our youth is swallowed up by the reality of raising kids and paying the bills and staying sober. My exhortation to us all is to realize that if we're doing even those basic things, those seemingly small things, we ARE making a difference in our own lives and the lives of those around us, those who depend on us. If we buy a box of Girl Scout cookies, or drop a little money in the plate on Sundays, or comfort an old friend...we make a difference. We're important.
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I CANNOT do interfere with what I CAN do. By the Grace of God, I will." Edward E. Hale.
D-Day 2024. May God add His blessing to our heartfelt gratitude.
NT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gen. George S. Patton
80 years ago today. D-Day. A pivotal event not only in WW2 but in world history in general. It is no exaggeration to say that the fate of the world hinged on the success of that operation, and the accounts of heroism and bravery have filled volumes. We pause today to give thanks for those who fought, for their sacrifice, and for the many families who never saw their particular hero again.
One of the lesser known heroes was a man named Andrew Jackson Higgins. If you're not familiar with him, you're in good company, but to this day, we all owe him a debt of gratitude for his foresight and ingenuity. Higgins had the foresight to see what the brass at the U.S. Navy could not. The Navy continued to press for more destroyers and battleships---and rightly so---but Higgins figured out that for the large-scale land invasion that seemed inevitable, the big ships could not get troops close enough to the shore. Against considerable resistance, Higgins designed and advocated for a smaller craft with a flat bottom and a flat bow that was made to drop down to enable troops to make a quick mass exit. And thus was born the LCVP: the Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel, which came to be known more commonly as the "Higgins boat."
The larger vessels crossed the English Channel under cover of darkness. Then, as thousands upon thousands of troops boarded their Higgins boats, the big ships bombarded the coastline to help prepare it for the landing troops. In his book, D-Day: The Climactic Battle of World War II, Stephen Ambrose quotes Gen. Eisenhower who said that "Andrew Higgins...is the man who won the war for us. ...f Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different." High praise indeed.
As indebted as we are to Andrew Higgins, is there a life lesson here for all of us? JFK said that "One person can make a difference, and everyone should try." At one time or another, we've all said, at least to ourselves, that we want to make a difference. Young people say that a lot, just like we did. Then life intervenes. We didn't find a cure for cancer, or create the iPhone. The idealism of our youth is swallowed up by the reality of raising kids and paying the bills and staying sober. My exhortation to us all is to realize that if we're doing even those basic things, those seemingly small things, we ARE making a difference in our own lives and the lives of those around us, those who depend on us. If we buy a box of Girl Scout cookies, or drop a little money in the plate on Sundays, or comfort an old friend...we make a difference. We're important.
"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I CANNOT do interfere with what I CAN do. By the Grace of God, I will." Edward E. Hale.
D-Day 2024. May God add His blessing to our heartfelt gratitude.
NT
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