Hitting the beach this summer? Thank a veteran. Seventy-two years ago, on June 6, 1944, young American men my age (19) weren't hitting the beach for recreational and tanning purposes. They were storming the beach of Normandy, France hoping to liberate Europe from Nazi control. Wow. That is a sobering thought. Those young soldiers had hopes and dreams just like I do. They left their families and jobs, colleges and girlfriends. I wonder if they thought a lot about the chances of not coming back alive, not living their dreams or having a family of their own. These young men understood the pernicious threat of evil, what they were fighting for and against, and the value of freedom and sacrifice both home and abroad. But they were just teenagers, a lot of them, drafted, but eager and willing...and so young. The more personal stories I read and hear, the more I understand why they've been called "the greatest generation." Jesus said it best: "Greater love has no one than this: that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
A few years back, while visiting the Fayetteville Airborne and Special Operations Museum in North Carolina, my family was privileged to meet a veteran hero who was part of the Normandy Invasion. He was 90 years old at the time (yes, 90 years old) and a volunteer at the museum. Isn't that amazing? I wish I could remember his name to pay him honor here, but I know he considered it an honor to be able to tell his stories with humility and pride and to assist visitors there. I remember the tears in my then 77 year-old granddad's eyes (whose older siblings all served in World War II) after he talked with this veteran and thanked him for his service. I don't know if I got it then or fully get it now, or if I really gave World War II a whole lot of thought past that section in my American History class. I try to think about D-Day and put myself on one of those boats; the intensity of the first 20 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan" comes to my mind's eye as American soldiers depart the landing crafts to either live or die that day.
As there are so few World War II veterans still living today, I wonder if the man we met is still with us. I can't imagine how fast his heart must have been racing, how scared he must have been that June 6. Did he tremble as he approached the shore, gun in hand? What was going through his mind? I wonder how, in the years after the war, he handled the horrific sights and sounds of bullets, explosives and fellow soldiers falling by his side on land and sea. I am sure he witnessed brothers die unimaginable deaths and lost all too many close friends in the war. I bet he wonders why he survived while other brave men didn't. While I am grateful he was willing to risk his life for freedom, I sure hope he knows that we know, in large part, it was because of that pivotal event in our nation and Europe's history that we as Americans are free today.
Every Memorial Day, Veterans Day and D-Day anniversary we live through, let's try to see beyond the history texts that don't do justice to war's reality. Every time we visit a museum or memorial that honors our men and women in uniform through the ages, let's try to look beyond the marble statues into the eyes of living, breathing people behind the stories and pictures. In our world of instant social media, access and connection, we can remember those who waited weeks and months to receive tear-stained letters from home. As we debate minimum wage and have big dreams for big paychecks, we can be mindful of those who fought for $50 a month; as we put our flip flops or Nike's on, we can honor the ones who selflessly put on their mud-drenched, blood-stained combat boots for freedom. As we debate guns and gun control, we can understand that sometimes guns must be used for a greater good to conquer an even greater threat of evil. We can strive to understand the need to fight for freedom of speech, of religion, from oppression.
Our world is far from perfect, and there are issues we can debate vigorously; there are aspects of our past and present that we may not be especially proud of or agree with at times; but let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. There’s a lot that we can be very, very proud of. Maintaining perspective is a virtue. We don't have to like everything about our history or agree with the decisions made, but we can appreciate its humanity and really try to understand the dynamics of times so different from ours. Showing deference to our veterans by respecting our flag and the virtues of sacrifice and freedom exhibited by these brave men and woman who came before us is simply a no-brainer to me.
As President John F. Kennedy eloquently stated, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." I hope my generation will do whatever it takes to be a great generation for our country, too. We can rise up to be an unselfish, responsible, compassionate, hard-working, accepting, techno-savvy, grateful, optimistic force in our day with wise and creative solutions to fight national and global ills. We can love peace and pursue it; we can seek every possible diplomatic solution; but we can never forget that freedom, when threatened by a ruthless, conscienceless evil, is still worth fighting for.
This summer, let’s take some time to reflect on all the 19 year-olds of D-Day. As June 6 is behind us and July 4 approaches, unplug, read some history, visit a memorial, write a letter to a soldier or pray for those presently serving in harm's way. Let's rise up to be instruments of peace without naivety in this generation, peace-makers who are still willing to fight for the freedom of all. And as we make plans to hit the beach this summer, let’s be grateful for all those men who stormed the beach with their buddies on June 6, 1944.
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." -Ronald Reagan
