Here is the audio clip of FDR's
D-Day Prayer. Scroll down for the transcript.
It follows the full text transcript of
Franklin D. Roosevelt's D-Day Prayer, delivered at
the White House, Washington DC - June 6, 1944.
My fellow
Americans:
Last night, when I
spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at
that moment that troops of the United States and
our allies were crossing the Channel in another
and greater operation. It has come to pass with
success thus far.
And so, in this
poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in
prayer:
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation,
this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a
struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion,
and our civilization, and to set free a
suffering humanity.
Lead them straight and true; give strength to
their arms, stoutness to their hearts,
steadfastness in their faith.
They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be
long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may
hurl back our forces. Success may not come with
rushing speed, but we shall return again and
again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the
righteousness of our cause, our sons will
triumph.
They will be sore tried, by night and by day,
without rest-until the victory is won. The
darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men's
souls will be shaken with the violences of war.
For these men are lately drawn from the ways of
peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest.
They fight to end conquest. They fight to
liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and
tolerance and good will among all Thy people.
They yearn but for the end of battle, for their
return to the haven of home.
Some will never return. Embrace these, Father,
and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy
kingdom.
And for us at home - fathers, mothers, children,
wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men
overseas - whose thoughts and prayers are ever
with them - help us, Almighty God, to rededicate
ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour
of great sacrifice.
Many people have urged that I call the Nation
into a single day of special prayer. But because
the road is long and the desire is great, I ask
that our people devote themselves in a
continuance of prayer. As we rise to each new
day, and again when each day is spent, let words
of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to
our efforts.
Give us strength, too - strength in our daily
tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in
the physical and the material support of our
armed forces.
And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the
long travail, to bear sorrows that may come, to
impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever
they may be.
And, O Lord, give us Faith. Give us Faith in
Thee; Faith in our sons; Faith in each other;
Faith in our united crusade. Let not the
keenness of our spirit ever be dulled. Let not
the impacts of temporary events, of temporal
matters of but fleeting moment let not these
deter us in our unconquerable purpose.
With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the
unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer
the apostles of greed and racial arrogancies.
Lead us to the saving of our country, and with
our sister Nations into a world unity that will
spell a sure peace, a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will
let all men live in freedom, reaping the just
rewards of their honest toil.
