“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,” he wrote in a famous letter sent to troops before the assault.
“We will accept nothing less than full victory! Good Luck!” But in case of failure, he had this note in this pocket. He had written it by hand, under great stress, and got the day and month wrong. The words are those of a leader of men: 
“Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”
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Author: The Best American Poetry
