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Most D-Day speeches have been largely forgotten … with one notable exception.

That exception occurred on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, when then President Ronald Reagan delivered a D-Day speech affirming his status as “The Great Communicator� and a master of the spoken word.

Ever mindful of the power of optics in communications, the setting for his speech was the U.S. Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc France, overlooking the landing beaches of Normandy.

Joining Reagan at the event were 62 Army Ranger D-Day veterans, the Queen of Britain, the Queen of the Netherlands, the King of Norway, the King of Belgium, the Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Prime Minister of Canada.

Following Reagan’s remarks, presidential historian Douglas Brinkley told the Washington Post: “For sheer oratorical eloquence, it would become one of the most inspirational presidential speeches ever delivered.�

Even longtime CBS Â鶹´«Ã½ anchor Walter Cronkite, who previously covered World War II as a correspondent (and was never a Reagan fan), was reportedly deeply moved by the speech.

In what is now widely known as the Boys at Pointe du Hoc speech, Reagan included the following remarks:

“We’re here to mark that day in history when the Allied peoples joined in battle to reclaim this continent to liberty. For four long years, much of Europe had been under a terrible shadow. Free nations had fallen, Jews cried out in the camps, millions cried out for liberation. Europe was enslaved, and the world prayed for its rescue. Here in Normandy the rescue began. Here the Allies stood and fought against tyranny in a giant undertaking unparalleled in human history.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but forty years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns. The Allies had been told that some of the mightiest of these guns were here and they would be trained on the beaches to stop the Allied advance.

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers — at the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine-guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting only ninety could still bear arms.

Behind me is a memorial that symbolizes the Ranger daggers that were thrust into the top of these cliffs. And before me are the men who put them there.

These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war.

As memorable as Reagan’s remarks are, I remember different D-Day remarks at a different time, in a different place. They occurred when I was in college during the Vietnam War.

One of our professors told us we would have a guest speaker at our next class. That was not unusual as our professor was well connected in the community and frequently secured prominent people to meet with us. He did not elaborate further so we had no idea who the speaker would be or why they were invited.

When our guest arrived, we learned that he was not only a survivor of D-Day; he was one the surviving boys of Pointe du Hoc.

This veteran spent over an hour sharing his D-Day experiences.

Sadly, I no longer remember his name, but I remember his talk. He was low key, soft-spoken, reflective and humble.

Occasionally, he paused as though the memories were too difficult to discuss. We could tell he was still deeply pained by his D-Day experience but was also glad his story was being heard.

His presentation was not a carefully crafted or rehearsed speech. There was no media coverage of it. His remarks were not recorded or distributed. There were no political dignitaries there, just a group of college students. Many of them were disdainful of older people (anyone over the age of 30) and disillusioned with the ongoing American military involvement in Vietnam.

In his closing comments, our guest said what so many of the greatest generation so often said after serving in the second world war: “I didn’t do anything special. I was not a hero.�

What happened next was totally unexpected.

Every student spontaneously stood up, shook his hand and thanked him for what he and his Army Ranger colleagues did. We told him what he did was very special, and he was a hero.

That was a special moment that I will always remember and cherish.

David Reel is a public affairs and public relations consultant who lives in Easton.