As a special incentive for all those who will helped us during the last 60 hours of our Kickstarter campaign, I want to share with you one of the most exciting benefits for supporting “Normandy: A Final Farewell” at the $250 level or better.

D-Day and the Providence of God:The Virtual Tour and Online Study Course

This year, many of the last living survivors of the greatest amphibious invasion history will be returning to Normandy for the final time. As they return, Vision Forum Ministries’ camera team will be there. Our team of Christian historians will be there as well, together with families who want to honor our World War II veterans with a “Final Farwell” celebration—all part of a significant effort to produce a virtual tour and study course from Normandy about the Battle of D-Day, perhaps the very first of its kind that is specifically designed to give a providential Christian perspective on the men and events that were used by God in June of 1944 to change the course of the 20th century.

Today I want to invite you to join us on this unprecedented Christian overview of “the longest day,” by signing up for “D-Day and the Providence of God: The Virtual Tour and Online Study Course.” As a subscriber, you will receive in-the-field reports from the ground in Europe, special bonus features, and seven power-packed teaching episodes from Normandy, London, Paris, and Rome which cover the following topics:

In Episode 1, we learn that the Second World War, and D-Day itself, occurred in a broader context than simply a great military conflict, as did the philosophies, alliances, rules of engagement, and military and political decisions that drove the war and its many battles. Adolf Hitler and his worldview (though taken to a horrific extreme) were ultimately an extension of key religious commitments which came to define the modern world in the 20th century. Winston Churchill represented very different commitments, those which emerged from an ancient order associated with the ethics of Christendom. In the end, the Second World War and the 20th century itself must be evaluated on the basis of the theology which drove the men and movements of that time.

In Episode 2, we will study the foolishness of appeasement in the context of the conquest of Europe by Hitler, and seek to understand the providential meaning and relationship of the Allies’ early defeats at Dunkirk and Dieppe to their ultimate success on D-Day. Our strategic overview will take us from the Battle of Britain to the introduction of the United States into the War after Pearl Harbor, to North Africa/Sicily, and ultimately to the foundations of D-Day.

Episode 3 presents a fascinating study of a biblical perspective on leadership during the Second World War. We will examine the character and leadership skills of eight key decision-makers in the European theater of war— President Roosevelt, General Eisenhower, General Bradley, General Patton, Winston Churchill, General Montgomery, General Rommel, and Adolf Hitler. We will note the differences between bold confidence in a holy outcome and leading through courage and trust, and leadership styles which are dependent on fear and intimidation. And we will see how all of these issues were decisive in Normandy on June 6, 1944 as D-Day operations commenced.

Episode 4 evaluates the ethics of spying in wartime and the specific operations of Allied forces to confuse the enemy. Special emphasis is placed on the “ultra secret” and the many remarkable providences of God in concealing the efforts of the Allies during D-Day. We will also examine General Patton’s shadow army and the true story of the courageous French underground resistance.

Episode 5 focuses on one of the most compelling elements of the D-Day story: the decision to go. Here we understand both the power of the Lord to control weather and direct the course of human events, and the unique preparation of General Eisenhower for this one moment in time. Also, from a providential, historical perspective, the decision to go takes place in the context of an amazing series of events within the camp of the enemy, including mistakes, decisions and indecisions, and confused reports, and the handicapping of Rommel’s efforts by the high command.

Episode 6 turns our attention to the men of D-Day. Here we begin to understand important lessons about manhood and courage as we look at the sacrifice of the U. S. Infantry on Utah Beach with the 4th Division, and the 1st and 29th Divisions on Omaha Beach; the British Infantry’s sacrifice on Gold Beach with its 50th Division, Sword Beach with its 3rd Division, and Juno Beach with its 3rd Division; and the Canadians’ sacrifice with its 82nd & 101st Airborne Divisions. We will remember the story of the Bedford Boys, the Band of Brothers, and Medal of Honor recipients, and the stories of Ted Roosevelt, Jr., Carleton Barrett, Jimmy Montieth, Jr., John J. Pinder, Jr., and, of course, the Rangers of Pont du Hoc.

Episode 7, our final episode, offers a Christian perspective on the aftermath of D-Day. We will consider the cost of D-Day and its meaning, the Hedgerows, Contentin, Falaise Pocket, and Breakout. Most importantly, we will answer these questions: What duties have we inherited from the men of D-Day; why must we remember D-Day and the men of D-Day; and what additional lessons can we learn as we look back nearly seventy years to this battle?

Sign Up Today!

Designed for Christian families, home educators, Christian students, and people just interested in an exciting and inspirational learning experience, there are two ways to become a part of this incredible learning opportunity:

Option #1: Sign Up for D-Day and the Providence of God: The Virtual Tour and Online Study Course

First, you can sign up as a subscriber to “D-Day and the Providence of God: The Virtual Tour and Online Course.” The price is $59, which gives you access to video field reports from Europe and our “A Final Farewell” celebration, our special bonus series on “Food as Culture: A Look at the Gastronomy of Europe,” and of course, our seven online episodes from D-Day and the Providence of God, complete with study questions and a downloadable certificate of completion.

Option #2: Make a Tax-Deductible* Contribution of $250 or More to Our Kickstarter campaign

Right now, Vision Forum Ministries is fighting hard to put the resources together to fund our film projects, travel costs for the veterans we are taking with us to Normandy, and related expenses for our “A Final Farewell” celebration. A key means of help is through our Kickstarter fundraising campaign. To accomplish our mission, we are hoping to exceed the minimal $50,000 Kickstarter goal we established by more than 25%. But time is running out—only 60 hours remain! So, we want to encourage you to consider increasing your pledge to our Kickstarter campaign by midnight (CDT) on May 7, or encouraging your friends and family to pledge for the first time. With your tax-deductible* pledge of $250 or more, you will receive a subscription to the course, plus all the bonus features and benefits (see below) as our “thank you” for your support. You will also receive a commemorative t-shirt, a copy of the film The League of Grateful Sons, and a copy of the Normandy: A Final Farewell tribute video upon its completion.

Bonus #1: Subscribe Now and Get Video Field Reports from Europe, Including Our “A Final Farewell” Tour and Celebration.

As part of your subscription, we are pleased to send you field reports from Italy, France, and Scotland that relate important stories and information relevant to the broader study of the Second World War, Christianity, and the history of Europe.

Bonus #2: Special Reports on Christianity and Culture

As a special bonus, all subscribers to D-Day and the Providence of God will also receive access to a series of short film treatments we will be shooting in Rome, Paris, London and Edinburgh on these subjects related to issues of Christianity and culture:

Field Reports, Bonus Features and Episode Broadcasts

Watch your first field report on “The Italian Campaign and the Liberation of Rome” from Rome on Memorial Day—Monday, May 30. Over the following three weeks you will receive periodic field reports and bonus features, including our series of film shorts such as “Food as Culture: The Gastronomy of Europe.” Also, join us on June 6 (the anniversary of D-Day) and June 7 for a very special field report on our “A Final Farewell” celebration. This will be a wonderful way to have exclusive access to our event in Normandy and to experience the pageantry, interviews, the emotions, and the power of a unique moment in the history of our country—a final farewell to our last living D-Day veterans.

Our seven “D-Day and the Providence of God” episodes will begin broadcasting on Tuesday, June 28 at 7:00 p.m. (CDT), and will continue at that same time on Tuesday nights for the following six weeks. Don’t worry if you miss an episode—you will have access to each episode via our online archives.

Check our website, www.afinalfarwell.org, for continuing updates and schedules. Registration is now open!

*Vision Forum Ministries is a 501(c)3 Christian ministry. Any amount you pledge to our Kickstarter project that is over and above the retail value of the rewards you receive in return is tax-deductible.

To Our Kickstarter Supporters:

On behalf of the families of Vision Forum Ministries, our World War II veterans, and everyone involved in "Normandy: A Final Farewell" and The Faith of out Fathers Project, I want to express my deep gratitude for the blessing of God on our successful Kickstarter campaign.

I am very grateful for each of you who contributed to help make this campaign a success. At the time I am writing this, we have about 60 hours remaining before the cutoff time for making pledges to our Kickstarter campaign. And, as we said at the beginning of this effort, the $50,000 we hoped to raise was a minimal threshold amount that would allow us to just reach our mission goal, but that additional resources would allow us to accomplish more and to complete "A Final Farewell" to our heroes with even greater excellence. Specifically, we are now praying that over the next 60 hours the Lord will allow us to bring in an additional $10,000-$15,000 through our Kickstarter campaign.

With this additional money we can cover the cost of taking more veterans with us to Normandy (and add on to our original budget), and we can cover other necessary items such as bringing medical support staff for these men. We can also build out our camera team, which will help us to make sure that we are able to maximize and capture every moment of this opportunity to tell the story of the heroic men who fought for liberty almost 70 years ago.

With 60 hours left, would you consider encouraging others who may be new to Kickstarter to support this important project?

Gratefully,Doug Phillips

Founder,  The Faith of Our Fathers Project

One of the veterans returning with us to Normandy for our “A Final Farewell” participated in a whopping nine invasion campaigns. (We are trying to determine if this is some sort of a record.) He, like many other G.I’s during the Second World War, left the comforts of home for the hardships of war.

And a lot happened while they were away. While they were away men weekly called for the mercy and protection of the Lord from pulpits across the nation. While they were away, God continued to bless our industry and farming such that the people of America were able to help the people of Great Britain stay alive with food supplies. While they were away some of the most memorable films in history were made. While they were away Norman Rockwell used illustrations to reminded Americans of core values.

And while they were away, their children grew up, their sweethearts wept, their mothers prayed, and life continued—because they made the sacrifice to be away.

Now, for the last time, some of these men leave the comforts of home to return to the battlefields of their youth. Many others who cannot return will be watching the return of their brothers for “A Final Farewell” through the innovative technologies of a new century seemingly far removed from the War years of the 1940’s.

And for one last time we want to honor them, to hear their stories, to bless them and to let them know that WE KNOW that we would not be here without them.

We also want to remind them of the world that they missed—the world of home life and culture in America. We want them to be reminded about all that they were fighting for and dreaming about back in the States while they were surviving overseas on C-rations and living in foxholes.

And that is why the team with Vision Forum Ministries and The Faith of Our Fathers Project has recruited some of the young talent on our to create a special gift for the last living WWII veterans going back to Normandy and around the nation. It is called “While You Were Away,” and it is a special film short tribute that tells the story of life on the home front while the men were away.

The film which includes memorable newsreels, and vintage film clips from the era, is told in the context of the story of a young bride writing to her very own soldier abroad. 

Joshua Phillips portrays the soldier.

With just three days left in our Kickstarter campaign we are especially grateful for your continued prayers and support on this and every aspect of our “A Final Farewell.”

To visit our official Normandy: A Final Farewell website, click here.

Here in San Antonio, the trio of young ladies pictured below are practicing their “Chattanooga Choo Choo” and vintage ballads of the 1940s as a musical treat for the boys who stormed the Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches in Normandy.

Their preparation is part of a grand Christian celebration of honor and gratitude to the last living men of World War II, a special event that will take place in Normandy on June 4–6, 2011. This event is also for all those across America who cannot join us, but who we hope to encourage and bless through our video coverage. There will be tributes, stories, special performances, and celebrations — all part of what we believe will be the very last opportunity in history to honor living D-Day heroes from the very locations where they made history by rescuing Western Civilization from the oppression of Nazism.

These three ladies — presently called “The San Antonio Darlings” — are just one of our teams preparing for the event. The wonderful Allen Sisters of North Carolina are tuning their voices to remind our returning heroes of “The White Cliffs of Dover” and that “the Lord was on our side” as they came in on a “Wing and a Prayer.”

In other parts of the country, our fabulous team of military history reenactors is getting its gear together to present living histories and to recreate on film the great military operations of Easy Company maneuvering through the Normandy countryside.

Back in Texas, teams of ladies are designing truly awe-inspiring, handmade awards to be given to our veterans, as well as “The Lafayette Peace Prize” to honor some remarkable heroes, including French men and women of Normandy whose sacrifice has contributed to greater honor and peace between our nations, and who have worked to preserve the legacy of the Normandy heroes.

And thanks to the efforts of some very industrious and creative ladies running our decoration committees, French officials, local French Normandy survivors, and American veterans will be treated to an amazing visual sight that includes banners hanging from the ceiling of a beautiful, ancient manor house, the foundations of which date back to 10th-century France. These banners include giant images of some of our returning veterans, Scripture verses, and great quotes from Winston Churchill, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and others.

Of course, we are especially excited about the powerful biblical and evangelical witness which will be shared through our Sunday worship service and our celebration events with the Americans and the French. (Keep in mind that less than 3% of the French people profess to be Christian today.)

But none of this, or our film project, will come to fruition if we are not successful with our Kickstarter campaign. So I am asking to you to help me rally the troops and to get Chattanooga Choo Choo into the station!

Just Five Days Left on Kickstarter to Make or Break “A Final Farewell” to Our Last Living D-Day Veterans

We are now five days away from our Kickstarter campaign’s ending date, and the pressure is mounting. As of right now, we are 67% funded. If we do not raise the entire amount by the deadline, we will lose every dollar pledged thus far. Without success here, we do not know how we can complete this important project of honor. Would you consider getting the word out to everyone you know? If you have not yet supported our efforts yourself, would you consider doing so?

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful letters of support and encouragement.

P.S. Remember that those who partner with us by making a very generous donation of $500 or more will be eligible to have a special short film clip made for them honoring the WWII veteran of their choice, which includes thanking the veteran by name while standing on one of the Normandy beaches as part of a short video tribute to our veterans (this tribute is separate from the “Normandy: A Final Farewell” DVD). This is your opportunity to have your own family member or friend from the Second World War recognized with a personalized tribute on film from Normandy. You will receive a copy of this personalized video tribute on DVD.

P.P.S. Read about some of the veterans who will be joining us by going to www.afinalfarewell.org.

Several months ago, I discovered that my dear daughter Liberty had been secretly working with her mother on a surprise for me. Knowing her father’s passion for history and desire to cultivate a culture of honor, Liberty’s hope was to meet Frank Buckles, World War I’s last living American doughboy, to interview him, and to share his story with others.

Liberty watched me make The League of Grateful Sons, and she has stood beside me for ten years as I worked with the Faith of Our Fathers Project. She understands that the mission of this effort is to demonstrate our commitment to the Fifth Commandment in the context of showing honor to the heroic fathers of the World War II generation. Liberty has taken this vision into her heart, and she hoped to reach back one generation further and meet World War I’s last remaining U.S. veteran.

So, with the encouragement of her mother, Liberty spent weeks researching the story of Mr. Buckles. She then came to me with her surprise project of honor and asked if she could complete the mission by visiting this unusual man who was such an important link to our nation’s providential past.

How encouraged I was! I gave Liberty my blessing, and she prepared to make the trip with her mother and a cameraman to see Mr. Buckles.

But just days later, he died.

My dear daughter was never able to complete her mission of honor. That broke my heart. It saddened me that she was never able to meet this veteran and to speak to him about the Lord Jesus Christ.

We missed our window of opportunity with Mr. Buckles. We waited too long. . .

That brings me to June 6, 2011.

On June 4–6, Vision Forum Ministries will hold “A Final Farewell” for the last living veterans of the Normandy invasion, the largest amphibious assault in recorded history. For three days, our team will stand on Normandy’s beaches where Allied forces engaged an entrenched Nazi force on D-Day sixty-seven years ago. Old vets who were then young men will recount their stories, and we will honor them through special ceremonies of gratitude. We will say “thank you” for their brave sacrifice to defend our freedoms. Our vision includes a grand celebration, historic reenactments, and the completion of important film projects and video teaching tools that will allow tens of thousands to learn about the providence of God in Normandy.

Ten More Days to Go

We have just over ten days remaining to raise our funds for this project through our Kickstarter campaign. So far we have raised more than half of the money. Please consider supporting this effort through our Kickstarter page, where you can learn more about the specifics of this important project. If we are successful in raising $50,000 in pledges for Normandy: A Final Farewell by May 7, we will reach our fundraising goal. If we fall short even one dollar, however, none of the pledges made through Kickstarter will be realized for the project. It’s an all-or-nothing campaign, and I would appreciate your consideration to help us meet the $50,000 threshold.

Thank you for supporting us in our effort to honor World War II’s last living heroes.

To visit our official Normandy: A Final Farewell website, click here.