Today is the anniversary of D Day.

78 years ago today three of my uncles waded ashore on Juno Beach in the first wave of attackers. One of my uncles was a bren gunner and as they came ashore a German machine gun was wreaking havoc. An officer yelled at my uncle to take that machine gun out so with a quick burst from his bren gun the machine gun fell silent and never fired again. Sadly before being silenced the machine gun hit another man I knew, taking off most of his rib cage. His body was floating in the water when a hospital ship fished it out of the ocean and put it with a growing pile of dead bodies on deck and covered it with a blanket. The hospital ship was shocked when the lifeless body of Jim suddenly sat up and roared "I'm not dead yet". They performed surgery and put in a steel plate where his ribs used to be. He lived and fought in the Korean war. I met him years later. His medals were so many and so heavy it looked like they would rip his shirt.