By the end of one half hour, approximately two thirds of the company is forever gone. There is no precise casualty figure for that moment. There is for the Normandy landing as a whole no accurate figure for the first hour or first day. The circumstances precluded it. Whether more Able Company riflemen died from water than from fire is known only to heaven. All earthly evidence so indicates, but cannot prove it.When we see them now, we see them sitting in a jeep, riding in a parade on Memorial Day. They are old men with white hair. When I see them, I get tears in my eyes and shout out "Thank you!" and hope that they hear my message through their failing ears.
Sixty years ago they fought a good fight, against tyranny and oppression. Unlike now, the nation was behind them and their president, committed to getting the job done. And when the job was done, they returned home, expecting no entitlement, simply wanting to put war behind them and get on with their lives.
I grieves me that we are losing these men. As we lose them, we lose a bit of history. We lose a bit of ourselves.
Today marks the anniversary of D-Day, the amphibious assault on Normandy each, the biggest invasion in history. If this day seems a cypher to you, I suggest you click over to this article, which describes the terrible price this generation paid in the space of one day.
I hope it inspires you to sit down with a veteran you know and talk to them about their experience. While you're at it, thank them for their service - especially if, like me, you haven't served yourself.
And while you're at it, set aside some time to thank our current generations of troops and their families for what they are doing. The battle they are fighting is no less important. I think we've lost sight of that right now, our view blinkered by Presidential Approval Ratings and Opinion Polls. That grieves me, too.
So take some time. Read. Think. Remember. Honor.
