WASHINGTON — Veterans, military family member, volunteers and others will be beautifying the World War II Memorial from 9 a.m. to noon Monday as a way to honor the legacy of WWII veterans.
Monday marks D-Day, when the Allies invaded Western Europe in World War II on June 6, 1944.
Bill Rausch, who is organizing the WWII Memorial service event, is putting out the call for others to join the group on Monday morning.
Rausch is executive director of Got Your 6, a nonprofit group for veterans. “Got your 6” is military slang for “got your back.”
Rausch is an Iraq war veteran and his grandfather fought in WW II.
“When I think about getting someone’s back and getting one’s six, D-Day for me represents it,” Rausch said. “I mean, thinking about what the allied forces did and the commitment to service and the sacrifice they made on D-Day, I think is unparalleled in our nation’s history.”
D-Day turned the tide of World War II by liberating Europe from Nazi Germany. Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, France, which were heavily fortified by the Germans. There were so many allied causalities that the water was blood-colored.
On Monday, there will be an Honor Flight of WWII veterans who are coming in from California and will be visiting their monument.
“It gives us an opportunity to thank those men for their service,” Rausch said.
