The largest amphibious invasion in human history began in the dark.
At dawn on June 6, 1944, nearly 7,000 vessels carrying 160,000 Allied troops closed in on the beaches of Normandy.
Through courage and sacrifice, they secured a foothold in Nazi-occupied France and began the liberation of Western Europe.
Today, we honor the heroes of D-Day.
๐บ๐ธ Most Badass Americans You Donโt Know D-Day Edition: John J. Pinder Jr.
Technician Fifth Grade John J. Pinder Jr. landed on Omaha beach on his birthday. He didnโt make it off.
Born June 6, 1912, in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, Joe Pinder was the oldest of three children. His father worked in the steel industry.
He graduated as valedictorian of Butler High School in 1931.
Pinder spent the next several years as a right-handed pitcher in the minor leagues.
He played six seasons in the farm systems of the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Washington Senators, and Brooklyn Dodgers.
In 1941 he won 17 games and was still chasing a shot at the major leagues when the war came.
He entered the Army in January 1942 after Pearl Harbor.
Assigned as a radio operator with the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, he fought in North Africa and Sicily.
In Sicily he earned a Bronze Star for staying at an observation post under fire.
On June 6, 1944, Pinder landed with the first waves on Omaha Beach on his birthday.
Communications were shattered. His job was to get a working radio ashore.
He made it off the landing craft. They were 100 yards off the beach.
Then he was hit. A round tore into his face after only a few steps off the boat.
Pinder held the torn flesh of his face together with one hand, carried the radio with the other, and delivered the radio to his unit, while wading thru waste deep water.
That should have been enough. It wasnโt.
Weakened and bleeding, he turned around and went back into the surf and fire three more times to salvage communication equipment.
He even recovered another workable radio.
On the third trip machine gun fire hit him again, this time in the legs.
Still he kept going.
Weakening but exposed on the beach, he helped get the radios working so the men around him could call for support.
While doing so, he was hit for the third time and killed.
Medal of Honor. Posthumous.
It was presented to his father on January 26, 1945.
Pinder was initially buried in Normandy.
In 1947 his family brought him home to Grandview Cemetery in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania.
He was the only professional baseball player awarded the Medal of Honor in World War II.
John Pinder is an American Badass
Thank you, John! ๐ซก๐บ๐ธ
82 years ago today, nearly 160,000 Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, launching the liberation of Europe.
We are free because they were brave. ๐บ๐ธ
Thank you to all who fought and sacrificed in freedoms defense all those years ago. Incredible footage here. Blessed that both my uncles survived and will never forget the over 400,000 who did not come home.
The Magnificent Seven is more than a Western.
It's a story about seven men who choose to risk everything for people who have nothing to offer in return.
With unforgettable characters, a legendary score, and a powerful message about courage and sacrifice, it remains one of the most beloved Westerns ever made.
Even in the 80's, they tried to cancel Sam Kinison.
Here is a rare video of Sam Kinison discussing the protesters that were outside of the venues he was performing at.
Protesters were angry at his gay jokes and AIDs jokes.
This is a prayer I think God answers 100% of the time.
The next time you're going through pain, consider asking the *right* question of the living God, who can and does redeem ALL things for His glory.
Milton Friedman on his ideal society:
โIโd like to see a society in which individuals have the maximum freedom to pursue their own objectives in whichever direction they wish, so long as they donโt interfere with the rights of others to do the same thing.โ
โIn such a society, I believe you do need a governmentโbut the government has a very limited role. Its role should be to provide the national defense, to protect individuals from coercion by others, and finally to provide a mechanism whereby we can formulate the rules that will govern us.โ
Every single Christian needs to understand how to interpret the pain they will experience in a fallen world... or they may find themelves blaming God for Satan's work.