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Eighth Air Force honors D-Day and 'The Greatest Generation'

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Nick Wilson
  • 2nd Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
On June 6, 1944 more than 11,000 aircraft, including strategic heavy bombers and fighters from the Eighth Air Force, played a key role in D-Day, supporting Allied troops as they stormed the beaches at Normandy, gaining a foothold in German-occupied Western Europe that would gradually expand and lead to the Liberation of Paris in August 1944.

Seventy years later, two B-52 Stratofortresses from Barksdale Air Force Base, La., and Minot Air Force Base, N.D., performed flyovers over the coast of Normandy June 7, 2014, to commemorate the event and honor those Service members who fought and sacrificed their lives on D-Day.

"We are honored to take part in this event commemorating the 70th anniversary of D-Day," said Col. Leland Bohannon, 2nd Air Expeditionary Group commander, deployed from Barksdale Air Force Base, La. "Many paid the ultimate sacrifice on that day all in the name of freedom. Participating in this event today is our pledge to carry on their legacy of valor."

Capt. Garrett Houk, 96th Bomb Squadron instructor pilot and weapons officer, Barksdale Air Force Base, La. was one of the pilots to fly over Normandy during the D-Day commemoration.

"Being able to participate in the D-Day memorial event is an honor," Houk said. "It's definitely not just about the B-52. It's about honoring the sacrifices of those who have gone before us."

Houk, and many others, refer to Service members who served during World War II and especially during D-Day as "The Greatest Generation."

This generation of men was asked not only to sacrifice time away from family, but they were also expected to give the ultimate sacrifice - their lives, Houk said.

As the sun rose on that fateful day 1,805 bombers filled the skies and prepared to strike. Although three bombers were lost, the remaining B-17 and B-24 aircrews were able to strike their targets.

During a second mission later that day, only one bomber was lost out of 782 more B-17s and B24s that were dispatched to strike the coast.

In addition to bomber assaults, Eighth Air Force dispatched more than 1,700 sorties of P-51, P-38 and P-47 fighter planes to escort bombers and provide air support to ground forces.

Altogether, an estimated 11,000 aircraft were in the skies over Southern England to complete 2,587 bomber sorties and 2,185 fighter sorties in air combat during D-Day.

"When you look at some of the Medals of Honor aircrew received during those days, the stories are pretty impressive," Houk said.

The legacy Service members left behind on D-Day can be used as a lesson in how to adapt and overcome challenges, Houk said.

"The peacetime military is a different breed than the wartime military," Houk said. "There will be a time when we will be called upon. We can use the Service members who took part in D-Day as an example. They were willing to make that ultimate sacrifice and in great numbers. The same may one day be required of us."