I mentioned this earlier tonight, but there is more Id like to say. 70 years ago today, the allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy France, and the liberation had begun. Three years in the planning, a logistical nightmare, over 7000 ships, hundreds of planes and 150,000 to 200,000 allied forces all crammed into five different beaches. By the end of the first day, tens of thousands had been killed or wounded. Omaha Beach had not been secured, but they fought on, eventually breaching Hitlers Atlantic Wall. They fought all the way to Berlin. It was a time when the world shuddered at the thought of world domination by evil minded dictators and an emperor. I heard earlier this week, that heroes had fought and died creating this country, and in WWII, heroes had fought and died saving this country. In my mind, a debt we will continue to pay in future generations by preserving what they fought and died for. These men are all a part of what we have affectionately called The Greatest Generation. It wasnt just those who fought the war head on, but everyone at that time bonding together to defeat world wide evil. These were in many cases our grandparents, and for some our great-grandparents, the stuff of legend. They all maintained their humility and came home to start a life, many never speaking of their experience and the brutality of war. It was a different time, but we are all the product of their courage and heroism in one way or another. There are allied cemeteries all over Europe. I personally saw the Cambridge American Military Cemetery when I was a boy. To see rows, upon rows of marble grave markers is surreal, but deeply moving, even to a 12 year old. There are over 3800 interred there, but a wall with over 5000 names of those unaccounted for, and those are just the Americans and only one cemetery. The sacrifices in numbers are staggering, but the war was won, but much was lost. Teach your children the importance of their sacrifice. For under each of those marble headstones and the names inscribed on the wall is a man, who died for the same reason all soldiers die in combat, for love of country, family and our way of life and to give future generations the opportunity to shape a more perfect union. Lets not lose that. Sorry for the length, Rick..
Posted on: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 03:55:16 +0000
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