Press Releases

Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) will be part of the U.S. Congressional delegation participating in the ceremonies commemorating the 75h Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France on June 6, 2019. Rep. Loudermilk will join other U.S. military veterans serving in Congress to represent the United States at a series of ceremonies and memorials at historic battle sites.

“I am extremely honored to represent the United States of America, as a veteran and a Congressman,” said Loudermilk, “and to stand in place of my father and countless other patriots who once stepped on those shores in defense of freedom. Many Americans gave their last full measure of devotion during these battles; and, of those that did survive, most are no longer with us, but the memory of what they did there should never be forgotten.”

In June of 1944, Rep. Loudermilk’s father (see photo below), SC Loudermilk, an Army medic, was one of the thousands of U.S. soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy. Assigned to the 100th Medical Evacuation Hospital, he moved through France and into Holland, where he took part in the Battle of the Bulge. During the Battle of the Bulge, he was attached to Patton’s 3rd Army.



This year is the 75th anniversary of Allied forces landing on the shores of Normandy to liberate France from Nazi occupation. The D-Day invasion, also known as Operation Overlord, was one of the most significant military operations during WWII, given the scale, complexities, and implications at the time. Nazi Germany occupied most of Europe, and the Axis influence around the world was growing. In the first three days of the invasion, Allied forces landed nearly 200,000 troops; and, within a month, that number would grow to over a million. The death toll was high on both sides, but the invasion was an overall success for the U.S. and Allied forces, and helped change world history forever.