Oklahoma City – House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, on Monday issued the following statement commemorating D-Day:

“Visiting the World War II Memorial at Normandy last summer was an unforgettable experience. As our American group toured Normandy, countless Europeans, many of them in their youth, approached to simply say, ‘thank you – if not for the United States, we would be speaking German today.’

“The world will never forget the sacrifices and heroism of June 6, 1944. American-led Allied forces established multiple beachheads and heroically held them for days so reinforcements could arrive. The invasion’s staggering cost – with 209,000 Allied troops killed and thousands more wounded, physically and mentally – ultimately led to Europe’s liberation by the brave souls who landed on those northern shores of France.

“The fate of the world was leveraged in that offensive. Our troops championed freedom, saved a continent and changed the world that day. As it has many times before, Oklahoma sent brave soldiers to that battle. They must never be forgotten.”