Happy Veterans Day and a Special Request

[FloweryBranchCruiser]

As a special tribute to the forces who participated in D-Day on June 6, 1944, we are requesting every PT Cruiser aficionado around to help sponsor two engraved tablets bearing the names of some of the nearly 4500 Allied and American forces that died during the “Great Crusade.” The bronze memorial plaques (one with names of about 20 Americans who died will be mounted on the west wall and one with names of about 20 forces from the other 11 Allied nations will be mounted on the east wall) will be mounted on the interior walls that line the National D-Day Memorial’s central plaza. At the east and west entrances to the plaza are plaques with the donors. We will be listed on both sides like this, “Given by PT Cruiser aficionados around the world.” For us to do that, we will need to raise $10,000. That’s not much when you consider how many of us there are around the world—and make no mistake, this will be a worldwide undertaking. We are soliciting from PT Cruiser aficionados everywhere to support this project. We hope to culminate this effort with a massive PT Cruiser rally at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford Virginia during the annual Blue Ridge Parkway cruise over Labor Day weekend in 2006 (we will be there on Sunday, September 3, 2006).

Why now? The sad fact is that we are now losing over 1600 World War II veterans every day! The memorial needs to be completed and we want to help that process.

Please send your generous donations to me at:
Darryl Gumz
4137 Warren Rd
Flowery Branch GA 30542
Make all checks payable to “National D-Day Memorial Fund” and I will keep an itemized accounting of all donors and funds for presentation to the National D-Day Memorial. All donations to the National D-Day Memorial are tax deductible. Any costs associated with this fundraiser will be taken care of by me. I will provide periodic updates on the forums to let you know how we are doing. ALL monies donated will go to the National D-Day Memorial.

Now for some extra information about the memorial.

It is located in Bedford VA and was dedicated on June 6, 2001. Like eleven other Virginia communities, Bedford provided a company of soldiers (Company A) to the 29th Infantry Division when the National Guard's 116th Infantry Regiment was activated on 3 February 1941. Some thirty Bedford soldiers were still in that company on D-Day; several more from Bedford were in other D-Day companies, including one who, two years earlier, had been reassigned from the 116th Infantry to the First Infantry Division. Thus he had already landed in both Northern Africa and Sicily before coming ashore on D-Day at Omaha Beach with the Big Red One. Company A of the 116th Infantry assaulted Omaha Beach as part of the First Division's Task Force O. By day's end, nineteen of the company's Bedford soldiers were dead. Two more Bedford soldiers died later in the Normandy campaign, as did yet another two assigned to other 116th Infantry companies. Bedford's population in 1944 was about 3,200. Proportionally this community suffered the nation's severest D-Day losses. Recognizing Bedford as emblematic of all communities, large and small, whose citizen-soldiers served on D-Day, Congress warranted the establishment of the National D-Day Memorial there. See it at www.dday.org.

And info about D-Day…

It is hard to conceive the epic scope of this decisive battle that foreshadowed the end of Hitler's dream of Nazi domination. Overlord was the largest air, land, and sea operation undertaken before or since June 6, 1944. The landing included over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, and over 150,000 service men.

After years of meticulous planning and seemingly endless training, for the Allied Forces, it all came down to this: The boat ramp goes down, then jump, swim, run, and crawl to the cliffs. Many of the first young men (most not yet 20 years old) entered the surf carrying eighty pounds of equipment. They faced over 200 yards of beach before reaching the first natural feature offering any protection. Blanketed by small-arms fire and bracketed by ar

[Ttomes]

I want to tell you, the National D-Day Memorial is an awesome place. Visited there with other cruisers while running the Blue Ridge this year. I think this is a great cause, and I cannot think of anyone anywhere who was not affected in some way by the D-Day Invasion. Darryl, my check is on its way to you, and I will be soliciting donations from every cruiser I come across. I will be proud to be there next year to help present the plaques.

[Hooligan]

You have snail mail with a check enclosed.

[FloweryBranchCruiser]

quote:Originally posted by Ttomes

I want to tell you, the National D-Day Memorial is an awesome place. Visited there with other cruisers while running the Blue Ridge this year. I think this is a great cause, and I cannot think of anyone anywhere who was not affected in some way by the D-Day Invasion. Darryl, my check is on its way to you, and I will be soliciting donations from every cruiser I come across. I will be proud to be there next year to help present the plaques.

Thanks, Tony. Your support of this project is GREATLY appreciated!

[FloweryBranchCruiser]

quote:Originally posted by Hooligan

You have snail mail with a check enclosed.

Thank you very much!