Latest news with #OperationOverlord
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Look Back: Anniversary of D-Day this week
Jun. 1—This week marks 81 years since Operation Overlord — the Normandy landings in German occupied France by Allied forces during World War II — was launched on June 6, 1944. Wyoming Valley residents learned of the landings, known as D-Day, either by the crackle of a radio or the Wilkes-Barre Record newspaper with the bold headline, "Allies Invade France Across English Channel," published June 6, 1944. A large crowd gathered outside the Times Leader/Evening News/Record building on North Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, to hear reports from a radio placed in a window. Many churches and Jewish synagogues opened their doors for services with Catholic churches reciting the Holy Rosary every hour on the hour. Stores and coal collieries delayed opening, and many homes and businesses displayed the American flag upon hearing the news of D-Day. Following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, thousands of young men enlisted at local military recruiting offices. Upon completion of basic training, those young men were put into service either in the Pacific Theatre or the European Theatre during World War II. Anxious mothers and fathers waited days to hear if their sons took part in the Normandy landings. One of the first stories involving local servicemen being involved in D-Day was published in the June 10, 1944, editions of the Times Leader and Record. U.S. Army sergeants James P. Franklin Jr., of Shickshinny, and Samuel L. Latona, of Pittston, were aboard a glider-towing twin-engine Dakota when they were shot down by German flak just off the Normandy coastline, the newspapers reported. "They made a forced landing in the English channel about 10 miles off the coast and piled into a dinghy," reported the newspapers. After several hours floating in the channel, a British destroyer rescued the two local servicemen along with the rest of their crew. In early July 1944, local newspapers began reporting those who were killed, wounded or lost on D-Day. "World War 2 has claimed the lives of two more servicemen from the area, another is reported missing in action, and four are listed as wounded in action in latest casualty announcements by the War and Navy Departments," reported the Record July 5, 1944. The first notification of killed-in-action of local servicemen were U.S. Army Pfc. George Kashula, 22, of 38 Park St., Korn Krest, Hanover Township; and U.S. Army Pfc. Bernard John Loboda, 25, of 405 S. Sherman St., Wilkes-Barre. Kashula, who served in the 453rd Quartermaster Truck Company, 5th Engineer Special Brigade; and Loboda, with the 5th Ranger Battalion, Company F, were killed on Omaha Beach on the first day of the Normandy landings.
Chicago Tribune
3 days ago
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Richard Rung, D-Day veteran who taught at Wheaton College, dies at 100
Richard Rung was a 19-year-old sailor on a Navy vessel approaching the shores of Omaha Beach in Nazi-occupied France just after dawn on June 6, 1944. Rung was one of 160,000 Allied troops landing in Normandy that day, which marked a turning point in World War II and paved the way for Europe's liberation. As part of the 80th anniversary of D-Day, Rung returned to Omaha Beach last year to receive the French Legion of Honor from France's president, Emmanuel Macron, and reflected on the horrors of war. 'D-Day was terrible,' Rung told the Tribune. 'You can't even describe it. Everywhere, there were guys floating in the water. There were guys trying to get on the beach before they were hit. It was a terrible experience.' After surviving D-Day, Run served in the Pacific Theater and took part in Allies' occupation of Japan. Back home, he became a popular history and political science professor at Wheaton College for 27 years. Rung, 100, died of natural causes on May 23 at the Covenant Living at Windsor Park retirement community in Carol Stream, where he had lived for the past 20 years, said his son-in-law, Carl Pickard. He previously lived in Wheaton. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, Rung was drafted a month after his high school graduation and received training as a diesel engine mechanic at the U.S. Naval Institute in Richmond, Va. He was assigned to work as a motor machinist mechanic on a landing craft carrying supplies, ammunition and troops. Codenamed Operation Overlord, the liberation of Western Europe was launched with the Normandy landings. Rung considered himself very fortunate to have survived the bloody invasion. 'Why did I live through this and I saw all these other guys that didn't get through?' Rung asked in last year's Tribune interview. 'I always asked the question, 'Why did it happen to them and not me?' I've never forgotten what happened there.' The Allies secured the beaches and then Normandy before capturing the rest of France and invading Germany. Rung remained in Normandy for about five months as he and fellow troops captured a large deep water harbor at Cherbourg, France, and solidified Allied control of Western Europe. Rung returned to Buffalo for a month in late 1944, and then his landing craft shipped out for the Pacific Theater by way of the Panama Canal. He served in Okinawa, Japan and also in the Philippines before being honorably discharged in March 1946. Again back in Buffalo, he worked for a natural gas company, laying gas pipelines, then attended Gordon College in Massachusetts, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1953 and played on the baseball team. Rung then picked up a master's degree in history from Boston University and taught social sciences and served as dean of students at King's College in Briarcliff Manor, N.Y. In 1963, Wheaton College President Hudson Armerding recruited Rung to join the college's faculty as a history professor. Rung later moved into the college's political science department. Rung often took students on summer tours to Europe, and in 1977, he brought a group behind the Iron Curtain to Russia. 'He was a great professor, and a great guy to learn from. And he didn't toot his own horn,' saidBill Seitz, a former student advisee of Rung's who kept in touch with Rung after college. 'What I admired most was his service.' About 30 years ago, Seitz cofounded Cornerstone Academy, an alternative high school now located in Oak Park, and Seitz taught there as well. He recalled Rung speaking to his students. 'He came to my class and talked, and the students…didn't want to leave,' Seitz said. 'He was telling the stories of Omaha Beach.' After retiring from Wheaton College in 1990, Rung traveled and went on short missions trips, his son-in-law said. He taught English to students in China, volunteered for several local charities and taught Sunday school at area churches. At age 84, Rung took up painting, and he went on to create more than 50 pieces, most of early Americana scenes and historical ships, Pickard said. 'He was just a wonderful human being, with an impish sense of humor,' said Russ Bishop, 93, a longtime friend and retired Gordon College professor. Rung visited Normandy four times after World War II. On his first return upon the 50th anniversary of D-Day, in 1994, he refused to walk in the sand, fearing leftover mines of the sort that had killed and injured many of his fellow 'I wasn't going on the beach,' he told the Tribune last year. 'I said to myself, 'I wonder if they missed one mine.'' Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron presented Rung with the French Legion of Honor award at the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day. 'For me, it's not 80 years ago,' Rung told the Tribune. 'Periodically it (feels like) yesterday.' Ralph Peeters, a Netherlands-based caregiver with the Best Defense Foundation, took Rung to Normandy for visits in the last several years. 'He was such an easygoing person,' Peeters said. 'He was always respectful to the people around him. My most beautiful memory with him was standing with him being honored with the Legion of Honor at the official France ceremony for the 80th anniversary (of) D-Day. Seeing him get this honor from Macron was very emotional for me but also for him.' On Memorial Day 2024, Rung spoke about D-Day and his service in World War II during a ceremony in Winfield. 'Death and destruction were all around me. War is hell. It truly is,' he said, according to a Tribune article last year. 'Take that from someone who was there….Let us strive to be peacemakers and, to the degree possible, to live in peace with our fellow man.' Rung's wife of 76 years, Dorothy, died in March at 98. Rung also is survived by his daughter, Judy Pickard; a son, Richard; five grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. A visitation is set for 2 p.m. until 3 p.m. on Friday, June 6, followed by a 3 p.m. memorial service at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 29W260 Batavia Road in Warrenville.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
India speaks for itself now: Why global outreach is not a tamasha
Dr Navneet Anand is a communications professional with a rich tapestry of experience spanning 25 years across media, academia, and the corporate sector. A graduate of Hindu College in Delhi University, Anand went on to complete his MA, MPhil and PhD in Sociology (communications) from Jawaharlal Nehru University, he has been a journalist previously with The Times of India, The Indian Express, and The Pioneer. As the founder-director of GreyMatters Communications & Consulting, Navneet has lent his expertise to a myriad of projects, including serving as a Public Communication Expert for a World Bank initiative, International Labour Organization, many Government and private agencies in India. His corporate journey includes a notable tenure as General Manager of Corporate Affairs & Communication at Fortune 500 company, Reliance Industries Limited. Navneet seamlessly integrates his extensive professional background with his rigorous academic training. He is the author of two acclaimed books, including 'The Media Effect' (2003), and regularly contributes to esteemed national and international journals and publications. A distinguished educator, Navneet imparts knowledge on journalism, social media, marketing & strategic communication, and public relations at esteemed institutions such as Indian Institute of Mass Communication, IIMs, IP University, Delhi University and JNU. With a passion for training and development, Navneet has empowered over 2,500 officials from government, police, and PSUs, while delivering over 500 lectures and training sessions. For insights on social and political issues, reach out to him at navneet@ LESS ... MORE A quote often attributed to Winston Churchill reads: 'Some see private misfortune in public success. They forget the victory belongs to the nation, not to the noise of its doubters.' In the tense months leading up to D-Day in 1944, Churchill made the momentous decision to back Operation Overlord, the largest seaborne invasion in military history. Many in his own cabinet and among military advisors feared the operation would end in disaster. Yet when the tides turned and Allied troops landed successfully on the beaches of Normandy, liberating Europe from fascist rule, some critics continued to murmur, unable to celebrate what was ultimately a national and civilizational triumph. For a generation of doubters including intellectuals, perception engineers, and custodians of legacy opinion-making, the bold and decisive moves by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of Operation Sindoor have, unsurprisingly, not gone down too well. Visibly irked and sensing private misfortune, their sermonizing on India's diplomacy and its handling of Pakistan has surfaced in varied formats: verbose X threads, camouflaged newspaper columns, and panels in policy dialogues. What they refuse to acknowledge is the tectonic shift in global power. Political scientist Samuel Huntington anticipated this change in The Clash of Civilizations. He observed that in the post–Cold War world, Western dominance would decline, and its universalist narrative would lose moral currency. At the same time, Asian civilizations, particularly India and China, would grow economically, militarily, and politically. The Islamic world, he warned, would see demographic upheaval with destabilizing consequences. His warning today reads like prophecy. In this emerging global order, India cannot afford diplomatic timidity. Our outreach via delegations of Members of Parliament, former ministers, diplomats, and strategic experts, is not a joyride or an indulgent spectacle. It is a calibrated and essential assertion of India's role as a rising power. For many decades before 2014, a select group of journalists and foreign policy experts assumed it was their birthright to accompany every official Indian delegation: from Mongolia to Mozambique, Guyana to Great Britain, Uganda to the United States. That cosy business was shut down with Modi's arrival, and perhaps that's where the pinch lies. Now, denied their old privileges, the same skeptics struggle to stomach a new Bharat. One that walks into the world's most strategic capitals and says, clearly and confidently: this is who we are. A nation with strength, resolve, and a clear sense of self. No euphemisms. No appeasement. No apologies. This moment is more than just a response to Operation Sindoor. It is a redefinition of Indian diplomacy. Combating terror is no longer merely a domestic imperative. It is a global message, conveyed with precision and intent. India will not be spoken for. It will speak, and if necessary, act for itself. Dismissing the all-party delegation's visit as a 'taxpayer-funded vacation' is not just incorrect, it is dishonest. It reduces a serious diplomatic initiative to a caricature. In today's world of weaponised misinformation, India must explain its position globally. Engaging with the international community is not vanity, it is strategy. Calling this outreach a 'boondoggle' ignores the stakes of global opinion-making. Silence can be misinterpreted. Propaganda can metastasize if left unchallenged. The India of today cannot afford to leave narratives to others. It must shape them, assertively and truthfully. Likewise, calling India's diplomatic messaging a display of 'victimhood' is a shallow interpretation. Nations have every right to highlight terrorism, expose international duplicity, and demand accountability. These are not signs of insecurity; instead they are expressions of sovereign confidence. Strategic autonomy does not mean silence. Nor does it mean forfeiting the right to demand solidarity when the cause is just. A multi-party delegation member and AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi during an interaction with prominent figures, in Bahrain. For far too long, Pakistan and its proxies cultivated a sympathetic network within India including essayists in editorial offices, content creators posing as conflict analysts. After Operation Sindoor, they were subdued. But as soon as India began reaffirming its message to the world, their discomfort resurfaced. A multi-party delegation led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor being welcomed by Ambassador of India to the United States of America Vinay Kwatra, in New York. This time, however, the message is different. It is firm. It is public. You are either with us, or you are not. And this will no longer be whispered in closed rooms. It will be said aloud — in Geneva, in Brussels, in New York, in Tokyo — wherever India's voice needs to be heard. Because this is not about Modi. It is about India. And India is speaking for itself now. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woman, 104, who drew up D-Day maps honoured
Veterans and historians have come together to honour one of D-Day's unsung heroes involved in top secret map making. Christian Lamb was a British naval officer who helped draw up the maps for the invasion and was one of only a handful of people who knew about the plans. On Tuesday, the 104-year-old joined a celebration for her achievements at Syrencot House in Salisbury, where Operation Overlord was planned in 1943. She said she was kept in an office by herself while she carried out her secretive work that was integral to the success of the invasion. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire "A ship coming in from England would try to identify where things were and be able to see things like churches, stations - anything visible from the distance," she said. "I had to try and arrange something that would help and they provided me with an office entirely to myself. "I found it enjoyable - I suppose you can concentrate more when you're on your own." She said at the time, it was "impossible" to know whether her work had helped the invasion or not. Last year the French president Emmanuel Macron awarded her with the Légion d'honneur for her service - the highest French Order of Merit for Military and civil merits. During the war she worked in the War office in Whitehall. She made the maps which were then delivered to Syrencot House where Lieutenant- General "Boy" Browning and other generals would use them to see what the shore looked like. Her son Martin Lamb, also attended the celebration in Salisbury and said he was "extremely proud" of his mother. "As a family we didn't know anything about it," he said. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. MP backs D-Day veteran's medal hope WW2 veteran receives French honour
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Woman, 104, who drew up D-Day maps honoured
Veterans and historians have come together to honour one of D-Day's unsung heroes involved in top secret map making. Christian Lamb was a British naval officer who helped draw up the maps for the invasion and was one of only a handful of people who knew about the plans. On Tuesday, the 104-year-old joined a celebration for her achievements at Syrencot House in Salisbury, where Operation Overlord was planned in 1943. She said she was kept in an office by herself while she carried out her secretive work that was integral to the success of the invasion. More news stories for Wiltshire Listen to the latest news for Wiltshire "A ship coming in from England would try to identify where things were and be able to see things like churches, stations - anything visible from the distance," she said. "I had to try and arrange something that would help and they provided me with an office entirely to myself. "I found it enjoyable - I suppose you can concentrate more when you're on your own." She said at the time, it was "impossible" to know whether her work had helped the invasion or not. Last year the French president Emmanuel Macron awarded her with the Légion d'honneur for her service - the highest French Order of Merit for Military and civil merits. During the war she worked in the War office in Whitehall. She made the maps which were then delivered to Syrencot House where Lieutenant- General "Boy" Browning and other generals would use them to see what the shore looked like. Her son Martin Lamb, also attended the celebration in Salisbury and said he was "extremely proud" of his mother. "As a family we didn't know anything about it," he said. Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. MP backs D-Day veteran's medal hope WW2 veteran receives French honour
