D-DAY ANNIVERSARY: The Day America Kicked Open Europe's Front Door And Saved The World

Tuesday marks the 79-year anniversary of D-Day, and it's a powerful reminder of American exceptionalism.

In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, landing craft supported by a massive naval bombardment landed on the beaches of Normandy.

More than 100,000 allied soldiers waded through the icy cold water and ran up the beaches of Normandy - code named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword.

German machine gunfire and artillery pounded the beaches as American servicemen led the charge to liberate Europe.

However, the assault was underway before the first wave of Higgins boats hit the beaches. Sometime around midnight, paratroopers fell from the sky deep behind enemy lines to assault, disable and destroy German artillery, communications and support elements.

The day of reckoning for the Nazis had arrived. Liberation and freedom were knocking on the front door of Europe, but American farm kids didn't wait for the door to be answered. They blew it off its hinges.

Help was finally in France and the hour of freedom for the French people was near.

D-Day is a sign of American greatness.

The horrors of D-Day can't be described in words. Men who had been with the same group of people watched their best friends get blown apart by German artillery and shredded by machine gun rounds. It was brutality unlike anything the average person can imagine.

Yet, in the face of that horror, American soldiers and our allies didn't back down. They fought like absolute dogs, pushed forward toward and established a beach landing unlike anything the world had seen before.

Eventually, the German artillery went silent. The airborne had done its job to destroy the heavy artillery slaughtering and killing brave American heroes on the beaches.

Thousands of Allied dead bodies littered the beaches and lay behind enemy by the time the guns fell silent and the German bunkers had been overrun and secured. Young men who should have been focusing on starting families, working in factories or on farms and living the American dream were dead in the bloody sand of Normandy.

They gave their lives to save a continent they knew nothing about. They died to save people who didn't even speak their language.

Never forget the sacrifice America paid on D-Day.

When Europe cried out for help, America answered the call. We sent a generation of young men to carry Thompson submachine guns and M1 Garands in a foreign land.

It's an excellent reminder of what this country is all about. Many people in the USA seem to now hate this place. It wasn't always that way.

There have been moments of great unity, and none were greater than WWII. We stood as a united front and reminded the world what happens when you mess with America:

You get your ass kicked.

The Germans truly believed they were the greatest people in the world. Instead, they learned farm kids from Iowa, Wisconsin and Nebraska don't play games when handed weapons and told to get after it. You can't plan to fight America. Our soldiers adapt and fight at a level that is simply different.

As Ted Roosevelt Jr. said after landing on the wrong spot on D-Day, "We'll start the war from right here."

The airborne were literally spread out all over the place and still found away to obliterate the German artillery. You can't plan for fighting Americans because we always figure out a way to get the job done.

God bless all the patriots who fought.

Soon, there won't be any WWII veterans left. If you fought in 1945 at the age of 18, you'd be 96 today. That means there are VERY few WWII veterans still among us.

Unfortunately, it won't be too much longer before all the heroes of America's greatest generation are gone, but they won't ever be forgotten. They freed the world when the grip of the Axis powers needed to be crushed.

We owe them all a debt that can't ever be repaid, but one way we can thank them is to carry on the legacy of all those who fought and died.

On the 79-year anniversary of D-Day, I suggest your crack a beer, raise a toast and say thank you to the men who fought on D-Day and started a new era of freedom in this world. They give us all something to be proud of!

Written by
David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.