(Normandy, France) – On Thursday, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (NH-02) issued the following statement on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Kuster is in Normandy, France as part of a CODEL to attend ceremonies commemorating the June 6, 1944 landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II.
“It is deeply humbling to be in the spot where, 75 years ago today, hundreds of thousands of brave Allied soldiers risked and gave their lives to begin the liberation of Europe from the evils of Nazi control. Their selfless service turned the tide of the war and bent the arc of history towards freedom. We are forever indebted to them and all of our courageous service members. Today, I’m also thinking of my father Malcolm who flew over the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He was a figure larger than life in my family and his service continues to inspire me to this day.”
Kuster’s late father, Malcolm McLane, flew a patrol mission over the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and received a Purple Heart during his service in WWII. He flew 72 missions in his P-47 fighter plane before being shot down in the Battle of the Bulge on Christmas Eve in 1944 and spent the last six months of the war in a German prisoner-of-war camp. He wrote a letter home describing his experience on D-Day that was printed in the Concord Monitor in 2004.
In April, Kuster introduced bipartisan legislation to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, a covert unit also known as the “Ghost Army.” The Ghost Army successfully diverted the attention of enemy forces and is credited with saving thousands of lives during World War II.