We woke at Heathen Central today to the news that Reagan’s body had finally given out; it’s a fair bet his family had their goodbyes long ago, since that’s the cruel lot for folks with Alzheimer’s. The news will be awash with coverage all day today — the Times obituary is enormous and, to this non-Reaganite, appropriately even-handed.

The real historical event to remember today, though, is not the passing of an ancient former president (he was 93). Sixty years ago today, Operation Overlord began. The logistical challenges of an invasion of that size were absurd, and the odds poor for the first few to emerge from Higgins boats on the French beaches. Still, it was in every sense what had to be done. In the short list of truly pivotal moments in the 20th century, June 6, 1944 must be near the top.

Ambrose’s definitive book is worth reading, even if you’re sick of Tom Brokow crowing about the Greatest Generation. On a page not updated since 2001, I wrote:

I suppose we all know at least a little about the subject, but Ambrose makes the whole thing real. The scale of the invasion is staggering; more ships, for example, were involved that day than existed in the whole world during Elizabeth I’s reign. Ambrose’s book is part oral history and part analysis, and the mix is almost compulsively readible. Veterans tell their stories through Ambrose, and he pulls no punches. Before Speilberg shocked audiences with the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, Ambrose painted the picture in interviews with those who were there. Ambrose also has a taste for the odd fact. I think my favorite is the story of 3 Koreans captured by American invading troops on D-Day. The German Atlantic Wall was manned largely by conscripts and captured POW’s, most of whom were guarded by actual Germans with orders to shoot if they didn’t fight (once the watchers were out of the picture, however, most of these Poles, Hungarians, Russians, etc., promptly and gleefully surrendered). These poor Koreans had, presumably, been captured by the Chinese in Korea-China skirmishes and subsequently sent to fight the Russians — who of course captured them and send them west to fight the Germans. And, of course, the Germans captured them and sent them to the doomed Atlantic Wall. The really sad part is that they were almost certainly repatriated back to Korea by the U.S., where they ended up fighting again just a few years later. Wow. (9/00)

The next time you’re in New Orleans, take a break from drinking to visit the National D-Day Museum near the French Quarter. It’s astounding.