Chambana Sun

Illinois State House District 104 candidate Brandun Schweizer urged people to "remember the sacrifices" made by Allied forces on D-Day. Schweizer, who will face Democrat Jarrett Clem in the general election, made the statement in a June 6 post on Facebook.

"On June 6th, 1944, Allied troops commanded the largest seaborne invasion in history on the beach of Normandy, France," said Schweizer, according to Facebook. "D-Day is a time to remember the sacrifices made by those who participated in this mission."

According to Schweizer, he shared a link to a Caucus Blog website focusing on the impact of the D-Day landings and their significance during the Second World War. The operation, known as Operation Overlord, was an Allied plan to break through the Atlantic Wall defenses of Nazi Germany. Originally scheduled for June 5, weather conditions delayed it until June 6.

Screenshot of State Rep. Brandun Schweizer's June 6 Facebook post | State Representative Brandun Schweizer Facebook page

The Caucus Blog reported that 73,000 military personnel from the Allied forces landed on the beach during the operation. More than 4,400 died, with over 2,500 of those being American personnel.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower Library’s webpage on D-Day described the Invasion of Normandy as "the largest amphibious invasion in military history." Thousands of ships and landing craft and nearly 200,000 naval personnel were involved from more than half a dozen allied countries. The operation on the western front, along with Russian forces on the eastern front, led to the unconditional surrender by German General Alfred Jodl on May 7, 1945.

Multiple groups of military personnel were expected to land on the first day of Operation Overlord. According to the US Army’s website on Operation Overlord, landings occurred at Utah Beach, Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach, and Sword Beach. Additionally, British 6th Airborne troops landed northeast of Caen.

Schweizer was appointed to fill a vacancy in the 104th House District when Rep. Mike Marron retired. He is a retired US Marine Corps Master Sergeant and worked in Danville as a code enforcement inspector. He lives in Danville with his wife and sons and created Tiny Troops Soccer program to teach young children living on military bases basic soccer skills.