BUFFALO, N.Y. — Tuesday, June 6 marked the 79th anniversary of the D-Day landings at the beaches of Normandy in France.
It was on June 6, 1944, during World War two that Allied forces stormed the beaches to begin the liberation of German-occupied Western Europe.
Allied soldiers, 4400 died that day, including 2500 Americans.
It was the largest seaborne invasion in history and helped bring the war to an end.
And now 79 years later, there are ongoing efforts to make sure we never forget that history of service and sacrifice with some local connections. But 2 On Your Side learned there is also now the struggle to get more people into the military to protect us from potential enemies.
The courage and dedication of the US military was on full display on June 6, 1944, with stories of real heroes like posthumous Medal of Honor awardee 22-year-old Private Charles DeGlopper of Grand Island. He landed with a glider unit behind enemy lines in France and then single-handedly, while gravely wounded, used his automatic rifle to hold off German troops who were about to ambush other members of his unit.
And there were the Niland brothers of Tonawanda. Three of the brothers were lost in combat in France and elsewhere in the days following D- Day. The fourth brother survived after being shot down as part of a World War II aircrew. The nephew of those who died at Normandy feels he still has a duty to tell their story. just.as we lose more and more of the veterans who are now in their 90s and above.
"That day changed the world and I guess I worry about it being forgotten, what these guys did there at Normandy. It was amazing - especially Omaha Beach with the bluffs and stuff. Was incredible. All these guys were amazing and my uncles to me were top-notch," Peter Niland says.
Niland has the concern that with those veterans passing, memories of their service could be forgotten.
"We gotta be careful. We can't lose this. So somebody has to keep it alive. (Stephen) Spielberg did it with the Saving Private Ryan movie a little but I think the subsequent people need to do that."
However in 2023 with the Pentagon's established recruiting goals falling short for the enlisted ranks, there are some lingering concerns about the determination of our all-volunteer military facing potential future enemies.
Dan Fletcher is the Recruitment Operations Officer for the ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) Program for SUNY Brockport. That program provides pay for college for students who enroll and then train to be commissioned as junior officers in the military. He is also a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.
He made this observation.
"I asked somebody - hey can you imagine if we had a re-match of World War Two with the current generation? God Help us. With Ritalin, and Prozac, and all of these artificial drugs and obesity and lack of motivation - it's just different."
ROTC or Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet courses in local colleges still help produce commissioned junior officers with leadership and confidence skills. And Fletcher is still encouraged and impressed with some of the young men and women who he sees come through the ROTC program and graduate.
"There are some who understand the history and tradition of service. And confidence-building is amazing where you have people that aren't really conspicuous for anything and within a year later they're running the place. "
That aim of instilling leadership and confidence may be enough to get some students to enroll and then serve in the military as it becomes a way to enhance their resumes and civilian careers in later life.