Eighty years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt delivered the largest mass prayer in history up to that point.  A radio broadcast for our boys in Europe, about to embark on what General Dwight Eisenhower described as “the greatest amphibious assault ever attempted.” 

D-Day.

In that prayer, FDR described our fight as a “crusade” and asked his fellow Americans to pray to God for His will to “prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”  Those prayers were answered with those boys—those boys of Point du Hoc, and other beaches.

As put in the American Patriot Almanac: One commander told his men only two types of people would stay on Omaha beach—those dead and those going to die—so they’d better push forward. In some units, 90 percent of the troops were killed or wounded. But the assault managed to cross the beach and drive the Germans inland. We had established our toehold in northern Europe and the war would soon be over.

God bless those boys, those men, and this country.