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.
America was saved because a teenage farm boy who had never seen the next county knew he had to get off the beach — so he did.
America was saved by every single soldier who fought that day. God help us to never forget their selfless heroism in the face of terror — let us never forget the cost of our freedom. D-Day is surpassing because those who fought there were surpassing.
It rightfully holds its place in the list of the greatest American achievements in war.
For all who fell there, on that day of days, we can trust that they have since been met by their equals: the men of Concord, the men of Trenton, the men of the Alamo, the men of Gettysburg, the men of the Argonne. And when they were welcomed by their fellow American heroes, they were most certainly greeted with the words “well done.”
The United States of America stands upon the shoulders of giants: the Americans who came before us, smashed empires and persevered for the righteous cause of faith and liberty.
We remember our history of heroism every June 6th, but we remember something else, too. We remember that the story of American valor did not end on that day.
You see, every single one of us is called by the same spirit of patriotism, if not the same drama and adventure, that the men of D-Day will forever embody. It is then up to us to honor them by answering that call.
We answer that call because it is truly the only way to defend what they won.
We answer that call to perform our duty in this greatest experiment in democracy the world has ever known. And we answer that call to ensure the preservation and the proliferation of the freedom paid for by the blood of so many.
Brooke Leslie Rollins is the President & CEO of the America First Policy Institute, and former Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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