June 6

It was 80 years ago today that the Allied forces launched their attack on the Normandy coast, beginning the process of reclaiming Europe from the Nazis during World War II. 

It would be less than a year from then that the Nazis were defeated. 

TigerBlog wrote about the 70th anniversary on this day 10 years ago. Since then, he's actually visited Normandy, which at the time was the most extraordinary place he'd ever been:

TigerBlog hasn't been touched by any place he's ever been to the way he was when he visited Normandy last week. The enormity of it all smashes you in the face from the first time you see any part of the region, understanding what went on there and how incredibly brave the people who made it happen were.

If you're wondering, the only place that TB has been that eclipses the emotion of being at Normandy was when he went to Auschwitz last summer.

The entire Normandy area is much larger than he realized before he went there. He drove through Sainte-Mere-Eglise, the little village made famous in "The Longest Day" by Red Buttons, who portrayed the paratrooper who was stuck in the church steeple. To this day, there is a statue on the actual steeple of the actual church.

Eventually he came to Omaha Beach, and the U.S. cemetery that rises above it. And Pointe-du-Hoc, where Army Rangers scaled a bluff that went straight up to a ridge where the German forces were dug in. 

It's just incredible to stand there and realize what happened. The landings have been immortalized in movies for decades. It's important as much as it is artistic, because it reminds you of what actually happened there. 

If you ever have the chance to go, you should do so. If you're a fan of history, or, for that matter, just freedom, it's not a place to miss.

This, by the way, is from the Alumni Weekly 10 years ago as well:

The Aug. 11, 1944, issue carried news of a casualty in the Normandy invasion: “On D-Day, June 6, 1st Lt. Jerry Schaefer [’40] was killed in action in France. Jerry was a member of an airborne artillery outfit and had previously seen action in Sicily and in the Allied landings in Italy. To his parents and to his widow, Mrs. Margaret Schaefer, we extend our sincere sympathy.” Schaefer is one of 355 alumni who died in the war. His place of death is listed as Sainte-Mère-Église, France, which is now home to the Airborne Museum, dedicated to the memory the U.S. Army’s 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. 

Having said all that, and recognizing how important it is to do so, TB segues now to the present day. 

Princeton's final athletic events of the 2023-24 academic year are being held in Eugene, Ore., where eight Tigers have earned the right to compete at the NCAA track and field championships. 

Of the eight, five are women and three are men. Broken down further, six of the eight Tigers there are in field events. 

Oh, and one of the runners is competing in that most Princetonian of events: the 3,000 meter steeplechase. That would be Jackson Shorten, who ran last night in the semifinal, finishing fifth out of 23 after finishing fifth in the regional. 

Shorten's run qualified him for the final, as the top five in each heat plus the next two best times advance to the last 12. The steeplechase final will be held tomorrow night at 9:24 Eastern.

Of course, Princeton and the steeplechase are very intertwined, with NCAA champ and two-time Olympic finalist Donn Cabral, women's Olympic finalist Lizzie Bird and men's Olympian Ed Trippas to name a few Tigers who excelled at the event. 

Princeton has three more athletes who are on today, including a pair of Ivy record holding sophomores: Tessa Mudd in the pole vault and Shea Greene in the javelin. The third is also a sophomore, Alexandra Kelly, in the long jump.

The final of the men's 5,000 is tomorrow night, with Nicholas Bendtsen, who finished 12th in the regional to earn the final qualifying spot. Casey Helm, who was eighth in the regional, is in the discus tomorrow as well.

Lastly, Princeton will have Georgina Scott in the triple jump and Siniru Iheoma in the discus Saturday.

You can find the complete schedule, as well as live stats and streaming information, HERE.