On Tuesday, June 6, 1944 the Allied invasion of Normandy, Operation Overlord, began. Operation Overlord is often referred to as D-Day, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history. The operation began the liberation of German-occupied northwestern Europe from Nazi control and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front.

This shirt has a back story on how it came to be a t-shirt. Here is the story:

My Grandfather was assigned to the USS McCook (DD-496), a Gleaves-class destroyer, during World War II as a crew member on the forward main gun #2. He was the “old man” since he was considerably older then his shipmates. Early on June 6, 1944, the McCook arrived in the Baie de la Seine (the Normandy beaches) and at 0320 commenced bombardment of the beaches and waterfront of the Pointe du Hoc–Vierville-sur-Mer area. By 0616 she had neutralized her assigned targets (three pillboxes, 13 machine gun nests and three shore guns) and had begun to take on targets of opportunity. By the end of the day, she had added to her score seven pillboxes, eight gun emplacements and ten stone houses, in which enemy machine guns and snipers had been placed. The McCook is even credited with taking several German POW’s who surrendered to the ship while she was in close to the beaches taking on those targets of opportunity.

Knowing that my Grandfather had such a big role in supporting the landings, specifically supporting all the Airborne, Ranger and Infantrymen during D-Day, made me proud as a kid. After I joined the Army in 1989 and I was assigned to the 2^nd Battalion 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82^nd Airborne Division as a Paratrooper in December of that same year, that pride swelled even more, knowing that my Grandfather directly helped the forefathers to my Unit.

Years later I asked my friend and extremely talented Tattoo Artist, Billy Haines, to create a piece for my arm that would honor my Grandfather, while tying my service together with his service. The base artwork for this final design was drawn up in 2016, but it never made it to my arm…. I’m an old Army Grunt and couldn’t put a Navy ship on my arm!! During that same time frame, my cousin and I made a deal to brew a beer together one day and call it “D-Day IPA, Overlord Brew.” We still have to brew the beer… and I have another idea for my arm that will pay homage to my Grandfather and fit me better!

Early this year I asked Billy to raise the bar on his initial piece and complete the design as a “beer label” shirt with a WWII flare to the design. What you see is the final piece, I’m biased, but personally I think Billy absolutely knocked this design out of the park. Billy put so many hours into this piece, I will never be able to repay him.

The destroyer you see in this piece is the silhouette of the actual USS McCook, DD-496. The C47 in the upper left of the design is numbered “505” on the tail fin, a nod to the 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment that played a massive role in the D-Day Airborne Operations and that I was later honored to serve with in combat in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

So that is the long story behind this shirt design and why I am so proud to see this shirt out in the wild, being worn by friends, family and strangers. We will never forget our Nation’s warfighters or why we are free.

Slainte!

American made shirts, printed and designed by Veterans. Perfect for any season and light, this premium fitted short sleeve is a classic choice.

Made and Printed in the USA

Take it Or Leave it Guarantee:

Nolan's Pour House stands behind this t-shirt with a 100% guarantee that you will love it. If for any reason you do not love this shirt, we will refund yourmoney, no questions asked, its that simple.