So every year, in June, my heart breaks. Every June, I pull out a copy of words written 80 years ago almost to the day. I’m a day late in writing this, but that’s because I’ve re-written this article many times in the past three days. I still feel uncomfortable with this, but this is the best I can do because there is real emotion behind this post.
“Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force: You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.
The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.
Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped, and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely. But this is the year 1944! Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned. The free men of the world are marching together to victory.
I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory. Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.”
-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, SACEUR
Every single time I read these words, without fail, tears stream down my cheeks. What the men he was addressing were about to do, what they were about to go through, the price that he knew they would pay….the gravity of that Day of Days weight heavy on my heart even today. We owe those men literally our **everything**.
Because of what they did, what they gave, we are here. Our lives, our families, our futures. They provided for us at a terrible, frightful cost. Every June 6th we come together in solemn remembrance of that Titanic struggle of Good, versus Evil.
When I see this iconic photo, I try to fathom the terror these men felt as that ramp dropped and the machine guns and mortars began tearing them apart. As they struggled through the blood and current past their friends who lay dead of dying, to confront Hitler’s Fortress Europe face to face and begin dismantling the Third Reich.
Today, we see almost all of these men passed on now, and very few left to honor. In the eighty years since these heroes stormed ashore and fought to end Fascism, Genocide and literally fought to save the world, right here at home we have failed them. These men are leaving us with the knowledge we have allowed what they fought so hard to defeat to take root, and take over America.
And they know it. They’re saying it. Watch this veteran say it on Fox News, live from Normandy yesterday. We have to retake this country while some of them are still with us. We cannot let these heroes who we owe everything to pass away thinking the freedom they fought to save was wasted, squandered and is gone for ever.
WE MUST DO BETTER. WE OWE THESE MEN BETTER. We simply have no choice: we owe these men a debt we MUST REPAY.
We must take our country BACK from the Criminals, the Stalinists staging the show trials, perverting the law of the land, denying justice, and turning their political enemies into political prisoners, just like the Nazis these men fought to liberate the world from.
WE OWE THESE MEN A DEBT.
Watch as D-Day vet admits and tells he is troubled that America has become what he fought against.
-Harold Finch
Amen! This older fart can still fight and will. Love Our Country too much to let them win.