"It's the ultimate symbol that freedom and liberty will always prevail. Always."

For episode 045, Jason, Emily, and Rich talked with Sergeant Major Dan Plants about D-Day and the GORUCK events he has led in Normandy to remember and honor the sacrifices of those who fought there. A history lesson combined with the personal remembrances of those who have rucked those storied beaches with some of the veterans who know it best, this is an episode about the spirit of the American soldier and "the men who persevered in the face of their own death." 

Informed by books about WWII and D-Day, as well as his own years of service including in the storied 82nd Airborne, Cadre Dan has taught many a GRT about the tactics of taking an entrenched position. The Atlantic Wall was the ultimate entrenched position: 2,000 miles of coastline from the south of France to Norway, heavily armored by the Nazi war machine over 2 years. What the allies lacked in fortifications, they made up for in ingenuity and were backed by dominant air and sea forces. Cadre Dan speaks about the 3 difference makers for the allies -- particularly the Americans -- on an individual level: empowerment, shared knowledge and training with a purpose. 

"Humbled and grateful to have had the opportunity to serve with such outstanding Americans," Dan sees in his role as a leader of the next generation of soldiers the requirement to teach the lessons of D-Day. Those lessons are well learned rucking the beaches and highground at Normandy, standing on a piece of the "Atlantic Wall," crying amongst the thousands of graves in the cemeteries and listening to the few remaining veteran soldiers who were there on D-Day share their firsthand accounts.

Links:

• Cadre Dan
• D-Day by Stephen Ambrose
• Dawn of D-Day by David Hawarth
• The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan
• Higgins Boats
• Learn more about GORUCK 
• Glorious Professionals podcast website