BROOKE ROLLINS: Called To Patriotism: Reflecting On The 80th Anniversary Of D-Day
As we reflect on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, let us pause to remember the sacrifices made on our behalf. Our fathers, our grandfathers, men whose names we know, and men whose names are forever lost to history made…
As we reflect on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, let us pause to remember the sacrifices made on our behalf.
Our fathers, our grandfathers, men whose names we know, and men whose names are forever lost to history made unthinkable sacrifices so that every American could enjoy our freedom, our security, and our greatness today.
The liberation of Europe was indeed the “Great Crusade,” with all that the name implies. It was a righteous cause by righteous men against the dominion of a profound evil. Our victory was not just the work of an army, nor even the work of a single nation. Rather, our victory was a blessing of a Providence that is not neutral in the affairs of men.
On this day in 1984, President Ronald Reagan stood at Pointe Du Hoc to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of D-Day. As he stood before some of the men who valiantly fought that day,
President Reagan said this:
“The men of Normandy had faith that what they were doing was right, faith that they fought for all humanity, faith that a just God would grant them mercy on this beachhead or on the next… You all knew that some things are worth dying for. One’s country is worth dying for, and democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.”
The soldiers that day understood that the invasion of June 6th, 1944 was not only a grand event. It also consisted of countless small, individual moments.
It was the moments of courage, of terror, of valor, of suffering, of love and of death that awaited the brave Americans who saw the dawn, who knew what was to face them, and yet still threw themselves upon that fatal beach.
It is undoubtedly true that America was saved because we and our allies landed that morning. But America, her ideals and her people were, in a much more real sense, saved because a sailor steeled himself to steer his landing craft toward a beach under fire.
America was saved because a soldier broke cover to help a friend. America was saved because a paratrooper dropped into the darkness, and found himself in a swamp, or a hedgerow, or a town for a crowded night where he alone would fight against the Third Reich.