50th Anniversary of
"The Normandy Landing"
Designed and written by Thomas O. Nichols
"If we do not Honor the Valor of our Defenders, we diminish their Victory"
- Dwight D Eisenhower
The left side of the print reads as follows:
"On the morning of June 6, 1944, the combined Allied forces under the command of General Dwight D. Eisenhower began the most dramatic military operation in the history of warfare. The invasion to free Europe was on, and at H-Hour 0630, Operation Overlord hurled 5000 ships, thousands of support craft, 11,000 aircraft, and nearly 200,000 men against Hitler's vaunted Atlantic Wall. Out of the night came the paratroopers to secure the fields. From the chilled, gray mist of H-Hour came the landing craft, ushering thousands of brave, young men into the frigid waters along the 61-mile stretch of the Normandy Coastline. Rangers climbed the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc to secure a foothold for freedom. This commitment to victory was accomplished by Allied leadership, more than a year of deception, the brilliance of the British cypher-breakers, and the heart of every individual soldier illuminating the dawn of what will forever be known as D-Day."
The right side of the print reads as follows:
"On the morning of June 6, 1994, a soft breeze danced along the coast of Normandy carrying the spirit of the fallen, the missing, and the veterans back home. Orders came from above to 'Fall In,' 'Stand Tall' and share the grandeur of the 50th Anniversary Roll Call. By God's side they assembled; the men walked at an honored pace, and they wept with pride for their gum-chewin gotta smoke buddies that are 'gone but not forgotten.' They hugged and shook hands with strangers, never to be considered less than their fellow warriors. Wives, widows, children, and grandchildren listened to the testimonies with humbled respect. Noble words were spoken by officials, dignitaries, Presidents, Prime Ministers, and the Queen of England, yet nothing of this day was to compare with the deeds of these men for it belongs only to them. FOOTNOTE TO HISTORY: In spirit, the men of Operation Jubilee and the men of Exercise Tiger were there, too."
The Print proudly hangs in:
The British Embassy; The Airborne Museum Sainte Mere-Eglise, France; The 1st Infantry Division Museum; The United States Congress; The Pentagon; The Ranger Hall Of Fame; Fort Benning, GA; The 82nd Airborne Museum, Fort Bragg, NC; The United States Senate; The Canadian Defense Attaché; The Maryland State House; The Military Academy at West Point; and the home of John Eisenhower, just to name a few. The Print is now available to the public, veterans, friends, and family.
Resting between the written captions and just under the restored photograph of Pointe du Hoc is the embossed 50th Anniversary Logo.
And it features the five 24 karat gold stamped stars, representing General Eisenhower. The embossed and ghosted paratrooper wings represent the fallen casualties from the British 6th, the American 82nd, and 101st Airborne Divisions.
Next is the embossed gold and silver stamped anniversary seal, and directly below it, at its actual size, is an American Issued Purple Heart Medal. In red, it reads:
Dedicated to the Sacrifice for Freedom. The inks used to produce this memorable print are actual federal colors from the equipment and uniforms used for Operation Overlord.
By special order, Congressman Robert K. Dornan presents the Print on the floor of Congress during the closing of the five year, 50th anniversary ceremonies of World War II, shown live on C-Span.
Edition Prints 5000
Signed by the artist and Numbered Only 5 Remaining This is it!
1251/5000
1291/5000
873/5000
1286/500
1753/5000
Single Price: $225.00 Sale Price $169.00 Until June 17th 2015
Certificate of Authenticity included 100% Authentic or your Money Back