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80 years ago... my Dad would be 113 now... when i graduated high school he was 68 years young. 10 th mountain division in WW 2 became an American citizen after the war/Irish citizen... He would knock Trump on his A-- if he met him...met JFK after WW2 when Kennedy was running for Congress in Somerville MA... had a chat Dad told him what he did in the war /Kennedy mentioned what he did... although that was kind of known a little...Whether Republican /Democrat in the fox hole no one cares... We need to wake up... Trump 3 times said no to service... No losers on those beaches 80 years ago...

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author

Amen

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founding

Thanks Adam! Beautifully said and very heartfelt!

I am grateful for your grandfather's service and yours. God bless you and your family!

I came in late on a CNN report but were they saying Biden's campaign has asked you to head an effort to get Republicans to vote "Biden"??

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author

My old chief of staff!

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Did/Are you going to accept? I know you would make a big impact. But above all please put your family first.

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founding

Is that a good thing and that he will utilize you??🙏

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My dad & his crew were in the 15th AAC 485th Bomb Group 829th Bomb Squad, stationed in Venosa, Italy. They flew 58 combat missions and all of them came home alive and intact. They were truly a band of brothers. They never flew with a “fill in”. If one of them was unable to fly, they answered for him at roll call and flew without him. On one of their missions they sustained heavy damage from flak over Split, Yugoslavia and were forced to make a crash landing on Vis. Nobody was injured but the “Sleepy Time Gal” would never fly again. An English B-24 crew had also crash landed- I think 4 of them were killed. Their airplane was airworthy but very low on gas. I don’t know why, but my dad was chosen to fly the plane back to England. He told the radio operator to instruct the tower to have the tarmac clear because they had so little fuel however when they went to land there was equipment on the tarmac. The radio operator turned the air blue with his yells for the ground crew to clear the tarmac. Dad had no choice but to go around. The ground crew cleared the tarmac. Dad landed and the second the wheels touched down, all four engines quit.

My dad passed before trump was elected however he was always interested in and kept up with current affairs. He had trump figured out in the mid 70s when he and his dad were caught and fined for racial discrimination in their renting policy in their apartments in NY. We saw the papers every time he filed for bankruptcy. Dad knew trump was bad news and so did I. Dad and his crew helped defeat the fascists in WWII- you can bet your last dollar that they wouldn’t vote for ANY of them that are endangering our country today. The torch has been passed from the “Greatest Generation”, to us. It’s absolutely imperative that we form a solid “band of brothers and sisters” and hang on to the torch that has been passed to us. In a few months, a new administration will begin- I’m praying that President Biden will be in the Oval Office. I definitely don’t agree with everything that he does (I don’t always agree with any president, no matter how much I like him), but donald is a malignant tumor that has left a stain on our great country. He’s unfit for the office of POTUS. Never again.

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Preach it! I feel exactly the same about the orange man-baby and how it is our responsibility to lock arms with each other and defend our country’s hard fought democracy.

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Well said!! Maybe Trump can hold the Bible upside down while he does a photo op and visits the ‘losers and suckers’’ graves….

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This is touching I do not comprehend Republican s denying what is happening. Bless you and family and ancestors. War is nasty but Putin will not stop

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author

So true.

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founding

my father-in-law was a Navy chaplain who hit the beach at Iwo Jima in the first wave of boats without a weapon (which he did not need to do since he was supposed to go onshore later with the higher ranking men once the beaches were cleared) and gave communion in the foxholes while gun-fire flew overhead...why? "because that is where I was needed most...I love God, and I love our Marines.” Hammerin' Hank Austin passed away years ago, but he would have lovved your comments and courage to stand up for our democracy :-)

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Adam…if you return to the political arena, please come back as a Democrat…!

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God bless you and your family including your Grandfather for fighting for our country and our Democracy!!!My dad was in the Air Force in the early 60s and he knows how special D Day is for our country!

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author

God Bless him!

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I am adding one other thing-Donald Trump doesn’t Understand how important People like my Dad are or ones like John McCain who was captured in Vietnam!

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Yes, don't lose heart - this moment is important absolutely Adam, but I think equally important is that you keep speaking. Thank you for your service and how you have continued that service as you speak truth and teach compromise. Thank you, Adam, and PLEASE would you consider coming back into the political area - preferably as a presidential candidate.

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In 1942 my dad lied about his age and joined the Navy, going into the Merchant Marine. He sailed on troop transport ships through WWII and Korea, working in the engine room. He took correspondence courses through the mail on Marine Engineering, which paid off years later.

My mom was Class of 1944 at Spring Hill School near here and immediately went to Nursing school in Little Rock. I have her RN licenses from four states.

All Americans who were alive during that time were ready to give their lives for America, especially after Pearl Harbor was attacked. The war changed America forever.

Most of those Americans are gone now. There are still many here who would give their lives for America. Real world America, not the MAGA World.

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founding

I usually don't have TV on in the morning, but I happened to catch the ceremony today as it was being broadcast live. Not only was it emotional, but it pieced deep into the heart -- and as you said, was incredibly inspiring. Although my efforts to keep fighting for democracy-- in the divided climate we find ourselves in today -- pale miserably in comparison to what the men experienced (and sacrificed) on this day 80 years ago, it gave me hope, determination, and a huge dose of courage. And a deep respect for exactly what this fight is all about. Thank you.

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Adam, I just heard you on a Podcast with Tim Miller of the Bulwark. Tim says you’re now an Official Contributor to the organization. Thank you for joining with us.

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founding

Mr. Kinzinger, every time I hear you speak, I genuinely feel better. You can be critical without bitterness. You have a down to earth common-sense approach to communication. You provide positive and sincere messages and positions that I find calming. You are committed to a vital cause. You have put country over self in your military service and country over party in this political sadness we are all experiencing. You are a strong contrast against deception and lies, by being honest and empathetic.

You are by any and all definitions, a good person. I respected you when you were in office. Each time I see your videos or read your posts, my respect for you increases.

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Former Congressman Ken Buck was interviewed by Jon Stewart on the Daily Show on Monday. Here's the interview, on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdL1qEHpsSg

Toward the end of the interview, when Jon asked him about the future of America, Mr Buck stated that he was confident that a new leader with morals, a new John Kennedy, would appear and unite the Nation. He didn't have a name other than it wasn't him. But he has faith that this savior will arrive and unite America again.

This is the faith (and lesson) of history. That great men of courage step up, and serve in their time, to make a positive difference for humanity. When the times demand it, honorable and skillful leaders rise to the task. Washington. Lincoln. FDR. Churchill. Gandhi. Martin Luther King, Jr. Nelson Mandela. So. Who will step up now? To save America and Europe from Putin and his fascist allies?

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and to save America from those of us who want to be Putins...

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founding

After 9/11 my unit operated out of Ramstein AFB in Germany near Luxembourg. Some of us visited the Luxembourg American Cemetery and the nearby German Cemetery at Sandweiler. The two cemeteries are only about 1km apart by air, basically separated by a traffic circle and their entrances.

The experience was hard hitting since the number of dead on both sides came into plain view there. The extremely high cost paid for freedom had never been so in focus as it was on that day. Our greatest generation sacrificed much to keep the planet from the clutches of a madman and his deranged followers.

Such depraved insanity must be quelled at the onset to keep this from ever occurring again...

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Thanks for sharing your thoughts. You've probably read a ton on D-Day (as I have) but if you haven't read "D Day Though German Eyes" (Book One and Book Two), I highly recommend it.

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author

Will take a look!

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I think it was about 10 years after D-Day (I read the books a while ago), a German reporter interviewed a bunch of Germans who were there. To hear their perspective was wild.

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10,000 Americans buried in the graves above Omaha beach/man told me there are 26000 germans buried in the graves nearby. As Joan Baez so aptly sang "the germans now too have God on their side" ...

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I am a veteran who is just as concerned as Adam and the fear if trump wins this country that was a Democracy may never be that again.

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Adam, appreciate your heartfelt remarks and memories on this day and every post you share. Thank you for the service you and your family have given!

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