Reflection: D-Day
As I sit to write my first draft at this, it is currently 5:53 Eastern time but just before midnight in France… By time I reach this second paragraph, the first soldiers of the 101st and 82nd Airborne would have been dropping into Normandy 65 years ago. While this event should resonate heavily in every American’s heart, it does so especially in mine. This is due to the fact that my first experience of Active Duty came at Airborne School, as a part of the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, whose first combat action was in Normandy this night. What an honor to be assigned to such a unit for 3 short weeks.
Operation Overlord, what D-Day kicked off, was the beginning of the end for Hitler’s rule of Europe. This began a 3 front war (Italy from the South, Russia from the East) that was just too much for the German Army to combat. The invasion was an extremely risky one, involving a night paradrop followed by a frontal invasion of beaches that had been fortified as part of the Atlantic Wall. Yet, 156,000 Allied troops outnumbered nearly 2.5 to 1 in ground forces managed to get a foothold onto Europe and begin the push through France.
The invasion was so risky, the Generals so unsure of the outcome, that General Eisenhower had two reports ready for the BBC, the one which was used, and another if the forces were rolled back into the sea. Had this attempt failed, the whole history of Europe and the world would be widely different.
Yet in today’s world, you would hardly know what this Saturday in June stood for. This is even news story of the Queen being originally snubbed at the ceremony. Sure the Military Channel is running a special all day, yes WWII vets will have their hats on, but other than that what is there? A majority of my non-military friends will probably go through the day not even realizing what occurred 65 long years ago.
Hence why this day, this event should be some national holiday, day of remembrance, etc. There is no reason that we do not hold a moment of silence followed by taps marking the minute the first ‘chutes opened amidst the AA fire, or the first ramp dropped on those beaches. The Allies suffered 10,000 casualties as a result of the maneuver. 1,465 US Servicemen paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting to roll back an oppressive dictator that day. If our military planned an assault with that many casualties, fighting any enemy, for any cause, and suffered that many deaths, our citizens would call for an immediate end for the violence. Yet during this greatest of generations, after a “Day of Days” the fighting continued through the hedge rows of Northern France and in the German Forests amidst the coldest of colds. Each one of us owes it to these men to take just a moment, reflect on all we have, and how awful an evil they face against the largest of odds.
Suggestions for the Weekend:
- “Day of Days” episode from Band of Brothers
- Saving Private Ryan
- Military Channel Special
- The Steel Wave by Jeff Shaara
- Listen to Taps in Reflection
- Hug your kids, talk to them about this day
We owe it to these men to remember this day. To pay honor to their sacrifice, and to thank their families on behalf of a grateful nation. I pray that I may do something during my time in service which is a thousandth of what these men did that day. Those men lived up to the title that was bestowed upon them their moment of birth: Americans.
