♪ >> in england, general dwight d eisenhower chart the liberation of the lost continent. they plan when and where the miter -- the mighty armies of the united nations will strike. northern france is that battleground. to the building of their defense system the so-called west wall, the nazis board the slave labor up conquered nations, pictures made by the germans himself to impress their satellites with the strength and invincibility of their fortifications. ♪

♪ within steel and concrete emplacements, the germans have amassed every known weapon of defense, whether those weapons are enough to face the allied onslaught will be proven in the struggle that waits ahead. ♪ here is the other side of the channel, britain, and armed camp bristling with guns and tanks.

here is the fruition of four years of planning and production or if you are the claims of england as the allied armies awaited d-day. ♪ locomotives built to run on continental railways, freight cars and tank cars to replace rolling stock destroyed by the germans. all this and more is included in the gigantic preparation or invasion. .- for invasion here is something of the gigantic naval armada, assembled to transfer the allied armies

across the english channel. here is something of the ingenuity of allied engineers, assault boats and invasion barges launched directly from the decks of the ships that brought them to england. ♪ the fleet grew in numbers, steel ships of every description, ships expressly designed and constructed for the mission up on which soon they were to embark. ♪

nothing was left to chance. every loading operation was rehearsed and timed in advanced. every soldier knew his station, every man knew just where he was to fit into the second take pattern. daily there boarded their ships, for all they knew they were bound for france or belgian, or wherever their commanders had decided to strike. every keep, every tank, every piece of mobile equivalent was assigned its place in the grand strategy of attack. ♪ then, on the fifth day of june, 1944, just as you see them here. a fleet of more than 4000 ships put out from england. this was d-day, the fourth

anniversary of the battle of dunkirk and the allied armies were striking back. ♪ the great fleet was underway. ♪ ♪ ♪

the morning of june 6, this was the battleground. fierce fighting around cap -- around caen. squadrons of bombers and transports led the way, more than 11,000 planes spearheading the attack. paratroopers landed in normandy behind the coastal defenses, landings made with timing and precision, perfected only through scores of rehearsals like this. ♪

♪ barges approach sure, ready for instant action, some bearing artillery and rocket guns already opening fire. [on fire] -- [gunfire] scenes,ust as in these the armies of the united nations have made their first landings

on the soil of western europe. another of the great decisive battles of world history has been joined. this is the day for which free people long have waited. this is d-day. [gunfire] ♪

♪ >> in addition to the graduating classes all over god's planet, i wish you would be graduating into a world of peace, light, and love, but that is not the case. we all live in a fairytale, but i guess the 1% does. >> this memorial day, watch commencement species -- commencement speeches in their entirety. from business leaders like founder ofell, oracle, larry ellison at the university of southern california, and maria, administrator of the small business administration at whittier college. >> you can count on yourself. what makes you special?

what to sing wishes you from others? in business we call it your unique value proposition. figuring out yours is key. >> sessions at the university of alabama, senator barbara boxer at the university of california berkeley and governor mike pence in indiana wesleyan university. >> to be strong and courageous and to learn to stand for who you are and what you believe is a way that you have changed here , and it will carry into the >>.nce of your life and white house officials, vice president joe biden at the university of notre dame, attorney general loretta lynch at spellman college, at present -- and president barack obama at rutgers university. that i amny wonder optimistic, a new generation of americans has reached up and bent the arc of history in the direction of more freedom and

more opportunity and more justice. it is your turn now to shape our nation's destiny as well as your own. get to work. >> commencement speeches, this memorial day at noon eastern on c-span. weekend on american artifacts, a tour of some of the oldest rooms in the u.s. capital with senator mitch mcconnell. here is a preview. came back to visit the friends i had made the previous two summers, the next summer, the summer of 1965 and once again i happened to hit on the right day. i was sitting in the outer office in senator cooper's -- the reception area hoping to get a chance to see him. he walks out, grabs him by the arm and says "i am going to take you to something really important. we come over to the rotunda