The victims of Operation Husky are just as important today as they were in the past
July 9, 2023
Gela, Syracuse
Good evening. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Gela and Sigonella Naval Air Base for organizing this important event to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Operation Husky.
It is an honor for me to be here in the presence of our distinguished guests. I would like to thank Colonel Bruce Clarke for his service as a military veteran and for the virtue and sacrifice of his father, Lt. Col. Arthur Gorham, who was killed while leading an air strike during the first wave of Operation Husky. I also note the role played by the many respected units of the US military that fought in Sicily, including of course the Rangers at Gela and the Third Infantry Division, with which my brother, Major Kyle Crowley, has served in the recent past.
As many of you know, Operation Husky was a turning point in the war. Within 38 days in 1943, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom liberated Sicily and reopened the Mediterranean to Allied operations. It was the first step in the Allied effort to defeat totalitarianism in Europe. By the end of Operation Husky, Mussolini was no longer in power and Hitler was in retreat.
Operation Husky was the largest amphibious invasion of the war up to that point. A year later, it served as a template for the Normandy landings. More than 14,000 soldiers and many civilians died in the fighting here.
A generation has passed since landing here in Gela. Many of our children are unfamiliar with the political, social, and military consequences of a war that united us around a common goal. That goal was to defeat totalitarianism and fascism. We must keep this legacy alive and forever remember our common history and the sacrifices of Lt. Col. Gorham and so many like him.
Eight years after Operation Husky, the United States and Italy share a deep and enduring friendship. This friendship is rooted in our common goals of peace, prosperity and respect for human rights around the world. We are close NATO allies and G7 partners with strong ties between our peoples, embodied in the 18 million Americans who proudly draw on their Italian heritage.
Those of you in this room help strengthen those bonds every day. We are grateful to Sicily for hosting more than 4,000 U.S. Soldiers, Department of Defense civilians and their families. These individuals are part of the more than 30,000 US Forces and their families living in Italy and working with our Italian allies every day.
The legacy of Operation Husky and the lasting lessons of World War II are just as relevant today as they were in the past. Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has shown us that the wars of conquest are also continuing on the European continent to this day. Those who have made sacrifices here in Sicily would be proud to know that the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany are all helping the brave people of Ukraine to defend their lives, freedom and liberty and the values of the UN Charter.
The alliance between Europe and North America is stronger and more united today than it has been for decades. We owe it to those who fought and died here in Sicily to defend the fundamental values of freedom, democracy, equality and opportunity for all. Thank you very much.
