"The Boys Of Pont du Hoc"

("The Boys Of Pont du Hoc")

In contrast to President Biden's anemic appearance at the 80th Anniversary of the Normandy Landings, President Reagan, at the 40th Anniversary of D-Day. The "Boys of Pont du Hoc" as he put it, was an Army Ranger assault against a cliff that straddled the gap between Utah and Omaha Beaches. There were reportedly some German guns that could be sighted against ships landing troops on Utah. The Rangers did get to the top but there were no guns. The bunker where they were supposed to be housed did not even have the heavy mounts. As one trooper complained, "they came all that way, for nothing ?" It had been Reagan's point that the men who scaled that cliff, even with the absence of those guns, and indeed all the others that went ashore on June 6th, American, British and Canadian (French also), were of a type, through sheer will, determined to be the first "back onto the Continent."

This morning, the jobs report was released and it was a stronger than expected 272,000. However, some 43,000 were government positions, thousands of others were from foreign born, health care and leisure and hospitality. The un-employment rate rose to 4%. What does this have to with the assault on Pont du Hoc ? Had anyone in Eisenhower's Headquarters known the emplacement was not complete than the scale would have been un-necessary. The point being that they had to make sure.

Beyond these headlines, another employment survey, the so-called "Household Survey," showed a drop of over four-hundred thousand. So, what might be closer to reality ? What will happen when all the revisions are factored in next month ? In the end, it is all a crap shoot. The ongoing effects of Bidenomics, and some in the Administration are still using that term, might give a strong headline but the devil will always be in the details.

Of the over 200 Rangers that endeavored to scale the Pont du Hoc on June 6th, after some two days of fighting, their number had dwindled to just 90. While there were no guns, at the assaulted emplacement, they were found further inland and then disabled. Their contribution to what General Eisenhower had called The Great Crusade, brought to a successful conclusion not only OVERLORD but the entire European Campaign. For President Biden, to have an economy at all, with a good jobs report or one more problematic, is in no small part due to those who assaulted those beaches, or scaled those cliffs.