WEBVTT 00:06.619 --> 00:08.508 Welcome to this week's reflective 00:08.508 --> 00:10.397 moments of America's military , a 00:10.397 --> 00:12.230 weekly segment where we take you 00:12.230 --> 00:14.341 through some of the major events from 00:14.341 --> 00:16.563 the US military's 250 year history . On 00:16.563 --> 00:20.229 June 6th , 1944 , nearly 160,000 Allied 00:20.229 --> 00:22.007 troops invaded the heavily Nazi 00:22.007 --> 00:24.173 fortified beaches of Normandy , France 00:24.173 --> 00:26.285 in what would be the largest seaborne 00:26.285 --> 00:28.451 invasion in history , known as D-Day . 00:28.451 --> 00:30.507 The operation would be costly . With 00:30.507 --> 00:32.618 more than 9000 Allied soldiers killed 00:32.618 --> 00:34.396 or wounded , the bravery of the 00:34.396 --> 00:36.396 fighting forces on this day allowed 00:36.396 --> 00:38.618 more than 100,000 soldiers to begin the 00:38.618 --> 00:40.451 slow , hard trek across Europe , 00:40.451 --> 00:40.240 marking the beginning of the end for 00:40.240 --> 00:42.630 Hitler's tyrannical regime . On June 00:42.630 --> 00:45.790 7th , 1942 , the Battle of Midway ended , 00:46.020 --> 00:48.131 marking the end of a multi-day battle 00:48.131 --> 00:50.298 between the United States and Japanese 00:50.298 --> 00:52.409 naval forces in the Pacific Ocean . A 00:52.409 --> 00:54.520 battle which would forever change the 00:54.520 --> 00:56.631 course of the war in the Pacific . In 00:56.631 --> 00:58.798 the aftermath , the Japanese lost more 00:58.798 --> 01:01.076 than 3000 men , 4 carriers , 1 cruiser , 01:01.076 --> 01:03.242 and hundreds of aircraft . Regarded as 01:03.242 --> 01:05.131 the most decisive naval battle in 01:05.131 --> 01:07.353 history , US forces shifted the balance 01:07.353 --> 01:09.464 of power in the Pacific , positioning 01:09.464 --> 01:11.520 the United States to begin offensive 01:11.520 --> 01:13.631 actions in the region . On June 5th , 01:13.631 --> 01:15.687 1947 , Secretary of State and former 01:15.687 --> 01:17.687 Army Chief of Staff George Marshall 01:17.687 --> 01:19.353 delivered a speech at Harvard 01:19.353 --> 01:21.576 University , which would later be known 01:21.576 --> 01:23.687 as the Marshall Plan . Post-World War 01:23.687 --> 01:25.576 II Europe was devastated , cities 01:25.576 --> 01:27.798 destroyed , economies crushed , and the 01:27.798 --> 01:29.687 Soviet Union's control of Eastern 01:29.687 --> 01:31.909 Europe left Western Europe vulnerable . 01:31.909 --> 01:34.020 In his speech , Marshall outlined the 01:34.020 --> 01:36.187 need for an economic aid plan in which 01:36.187 --> 01:38.409 the United States should do whatever is 01:38.409 --> 01:40.730 able to assist in the return of normal 01:40.730 --> 01:42.889 economic health in the world . Thus , 01:42.970 --> 01:44.914 the plan was launched , a plan for 01:44.914 --> 01:46.859 which George C . Marshall would be 01:46.859 --> 01:49.026 awarded a Nobel Peace Prize . This has 01:49.026 --> 01:51.192 been this week's reflective moments of 01:51.192 --> 01:53.359 America's military . Visit our website 01:53.359 --> 01:55.470 to learn more and stay tuned for more 01:55.470 --> 01:54.449 next week .