When the fate of the world hung on the decision of one man....

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon a great crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers in arms on other fronts, you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over the oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle hardened, he will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man to man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our home fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory!

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory!

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessings of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

-- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower

You can find out more about this pivotal day and its commemoration here, here and here. You can listen to General Eisenhower delivering his D-Day message to the troops here.

Tom Peters makes an excellent point when he asks:

Why does the Army, from recruit to general, train and train—but, mostly, the private sector does a smidgeon of individual training and virtually no unit training, let alone combined unit training?

I spent countless hours training during my Army career. Some of it was general; physical fitness training and marksmanship, for instance. Some of it centered on battle drills; developing instinctive reactions to common battlefield occurrences. And some of my training focused on preparing for specific missions.

All military units conduct this training, but the High Performance Units I was associated with excelled at training. They excelled because they understood and incorporated the 5 Rs of High Performance Training:

• Resources. High Performance Training is resource-intensive. It requires an investment of time, money, material, and personnel. For instance, one High Performance Unit I served with expended more ammunition for training in a month than similar units went through in a year.
• Realism. High Performance Training is realistic. Our training for a specific mission would include traveling distances equal to what we would travel during the actual mission, under the same conditions as we would likely encounter and culminated at a rehearsal target site built to look as much like the actual target as possible.
• Rehearsals. This is also referred to as the "crawl-walk-run" method. In training on especially complex tasks we would start with the basic individual tasks and methodically work up to the full unit tasks. Rehearsals were also used anytime live ammunition was to be used; we would train first with blank ammunition and not switch to live ammunition until we had mastered the drill we were conducting.
• Repetition. Practice something often enough and it becomes a subconscious, reflexive action.
• Review. One of the most effective tools for improving performance is the after-action review. Our training always ended by talking through what we did, why we did it, what worked, what didn't, and what we could do to improve our performance.

The effectiveness of the 5 Rs was driven home for me when I attended a briefing on the accident rates of aviation units involved in Operation Desert Storm. Prior to deployment, aviation units that I would consider High Performance (based on their consistent use of the 5 Rs, among other factors) had an accident rate that was somewhat higher than their counterparts. After deployment, however, their accident rate was substantially lower than units that didn't strictly adhere to the 5 Rs.

The 5 Rs of High Performance Training are as applicable to business as they are to the military. Adopting and adapting them for your specific needs will help you move towards High Performance Success.

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

For over two centuries, Americans have defended our Nation's security and protected our founding principles of democracy and equal justice under law. On Memorial Day, we honor those who have paid the ultimate price in defense of these freedoms.

Members of the United States Armed Forces have placed our Nation's safety before their own for generations. From the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, these brave patriots have taken on great risks to keep us safe, and they have served with honor and distinction. All Americans who have enjoyed the blessings of peace and liberty remain in their debt.

As we remember the selfless service of our fallen heroes, we pray for God's grace upon them. We also pray for all of our military personnel and veterans, their families, and all those who have lost loved ones in the defense of our freedom and safety.

Today, as we commend their deeds, we also bear a heavy burden of responsibility to ensure that their sacrifices will not have been in vain. This means that, as we uphold the ideals for which many have given their last full measure of devotion, the United States must never waver in its determination to defend itself, to be faithful in protecting liberty at home and abroad, and to pursue peace in the world.

In respect for their dedication and service to America, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved on May 11, 1950, as amended (36 U.S.C. 116), has requested the President to issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. The Congress, by Public Law 106-579, has also designated 3:00 p.m. local time on that day as a time for all Americans to observe, in their own way, the National Moment of Remembrance.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Memorial Day, May 25, 2009, as a day of prayer for permanent peace, and I designate the hour beginning in each locality at 11:00 a.m. of that day as a time to unite in prayer. I also ask all

Americans to observe the National Moment of Remembrance beginning at 3:00 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. I urge the press, radio, television, websites, and all other media to participate in these observances. I also request the Governors of the United States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff until noon on this Memorial Day on all buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States, and in all areas under its jurisdiction and control. I also request the people of the United States to display the flag at half-staff from their homes for the customary forenoon period.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

I'm excited to announce that, for the second year in a row, I'll be teaming with my friend Dan Weedin at the Speaking to Influence Workshop. This 2 day event will be held October 1-2 at the beautiful Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish, WA.

This workshop is geared towards consultants, educators, celebrity speakers, politicians, non-profit executives, managers, or business owners who realize that their success depends on their ability to communicate dynamically and effectively. In just two days, you will walk away with strategies you can implement right away that will transform your presentation skills FOREVER:

• Walk away with 7 strategies to connect with every single audience
• Learn Dan's secrets to writing powerful presentations
• Learn how to deliver a presentation that will engage every audience member
• Learn how to effectively use your personal stories to carry your message
• Uncover your natural humor and incorporate it in your presentations
• Develop ways to overcome anxiety and fear
• Develop easy to use practice skills that will keep you constantly sharp
• Learn how to use PowerPoint so you it will enhance your message, not put your audience to sleep
• Discover how you will be asked back to speak over and over and earn more money in your career

In addition to that you will also learn how to effectively leverage the explosion in social media tools such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and FriendFeed to stay informed, in touch and in control. Topics include how to:

• Establish a powerful presence on the internet
• Stay informed about what’s important to your customers
• Develop new customers
• Develop effective methods of keeping track of what your customers are saying about you

In addition, you will receive BONUS tips on:

• The one internet strategy everyone should embrace
• The art of making a positive impact – internet style
• A surprising, yet effective marketing technique

You can learn more about the workshop - such as the special bonus available to the first 10 to sign up and the 100% money back guarantee - and register at Dan's website.

Don't miss this chance to invest in yourself by improving your communication skills and transforming your future. I hope to see you there!

In life, sometimes you have to ask someone. For help. For forgiveness. For consideration. For a second piece of pie. It may sometimes be uncomfortable, but there's no shame in asking.

But don't ever ask someone for permission to succeed. Success is yours for the taking, and the only permission you need is from yourself.

Have you ever been told that there's no chance you will achieve your goal?

He was a 50 to 1 long shot.

Has it ever seemed like nothing you tried was making a difference?

He was in last place for virtually the entire race.

Have you ever stopped trying because of the obstacles you encountered?

He slipped through a gap that no one thought he could squeeze through.

Did you ever just want to give up on your dream?

Calvin Borel, riding long shot Mine That Bird, didn't give up and rode that horse to victory in the 135th Kentucky Derby. And he didn't just win; he won by the largest margin in 63 years. On a horse that all the experts said didn't stand a chance.

Keep that in mind the next time obstacles or naysayers tempt you to give up. You have to run the whole race.