June 6th marks the 80th Anniversary of one of the most important turning points in the Second World War: D-Day. For those who don't know, D-Day was an operation that "brought together the land, air, and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest amphibious invasion in military history."
It delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France.
This was undoubtedly significant as it was one step closer to the Allies liberating Europe from the Axis powers. Everyone knew it, including the people of Romeo. This brings us to the main question: how did Romeo react to D-Day?
The answer lies here in this article that was on the front page of the June 9, 1944 issue of The Romeo Observer.
To summarize, Romeo paused at 10am on June 6 for a moment of prayer in tribute to the soldiers who arrived in Europe on that day in accordance with Governor Harry Kelly's proclamation. In addition, the Air Raid Siren sounded, and the church bells rang to celebrate the historic day. Even the chimes of the St. John Lutheran's Church played the hymn "O God Our Help in Ages Past" (side note: it was convenient for the paper to print out the refrain in the article itself). The day ended with a special service at the St. Clement's Church, which was on the corner of Fremont and Lafayette Streets at that time.
While it's clear that everyone was in a joyous mood, the newspaper still reminded people of the reality with the war. At the bottom, there's a news item informing readers that one Romeoite Sergeant John L. Kelly is now a prisoner of war in Germany.
I wouldn't be shocked if this was the Obeserver's way of telling people that even though the Allies won a major victory, the war wasn't over yet.
To learn more about Romeo and its involvement with the Second World War, you can contact the Romeo Community Archives at rca@romemodistrictlibrary.org or call (586) 690-4890.
Source: The Romeo Observer Press, June 9, 1944, p.1 and Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home