The United States and its Allies recently noted the somber remembrance of D-Day. June 6 noted the 80thyear since the successful invasion of Normandy, France, that ended Nazi tyranny in World War II.
In November 2013, the late Bill Miller, a Dodge City businessman who grew up on a farm near St. John, Kansas, offered his remembrance of the carnage of D-Day. Miller watched D-Day from a ship near Normandy and waited for the command to go to Omaha Beach.
Like many of his country cousins, he joined up with his urban brothers to fight a war the Allied Forces had to win, he said. A picture of Miller is above.
D-Day remembered
As he thought back on D-Day, he remembered the sacrifices made by so many Americans, some who died on the battle front or from their injuries sustained during World War II. Others returned safely home and went about their lives. Many of them are now deceased. He also remembered and was thankful for the many people who provided support from the home front.
Miller attended a one-room country schoolhouse where boys and girls from first to eighth grade were taught by one teacher. It was the place where he developed his abilities in arithmetic and spelling. During his stint in the military, those skills proved valuable. Until after high school graduation and being drafted, he had not spent much time thinking about his future. World War II changed his life and that of millions of others like him.
Growing up in the heartland was good preparation, he said. His dad told the younger Miller “how to work and to do what I was told.” The advice his father gave Bill remains timeless. Until his death in 2018 he continued to share that message with younger generations along with the importance of taking advantage of educational opportunities.
The full story appears on the HPJ website at www.hpj.com.
