“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 hope and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you . . . Good luck! And let us beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.” —
Excerpt from General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Order of the Day on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
Eighty years ago, more than 130,000 Allied troops traveled from England to France to risk their lives for freedom.
They were more than just paratroopers, infantrymen, engineers, sailors, bombers, and tank drivers (sincerest apologies to anyone not listed there), they were also husbands, sons, brothers, friends, and neighbors, among other labels.
Whether your images of D-Day came from authentic photographs and films, radio news broadcasts, stories told from those who were there, history books, or from The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan, they are images that are imprinted onto all of our hearts and minds eight decades later.
Historians debate over what was actually said, but Ike’s simple (something along the lines of) “we’ll go,” changed the world forever.
Some men lost their lives. Some men were changed forever, body and mind.
An enemy was turned back, first from the beaches of northern France, later the whole country of France, and later, all of western Europe before finally resulting in VE Day.
Innocent civilian bystanders who never asked for a war other than to defend their country would soon feel tyranny’s grip leave them.
An invading army strived for victory and got it at a very high cost, some that can never be repaid.
Every man had a role to play and it took skill, courage, and the help of “Almighty God” — as the Supreme Commander so eloquently invoked — to make it all work.
Reflecting on sacrifice
I couldn’t find accurate and reliable numbers for how many troops from D-Day are still with us, but there are still some alive who are carrying the memories of June 6, 1944, to this day.
There was no question. What they had to do had to be done. Were they risking their lives? Yes. Did many of their brothers not make it off of the beaches? Yes. Did a lot of damage have to be done in the name of freedom? Yes.
How many things do we do on a daily basis that “have to be done” even though the path to get there — however minute and mundane it may be — may not be the most pleasant experience?
I pray we may never experience machine gun fire as we go about our tasks, but some things just have to be done.
I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be a man in my early 20s (or younger) with a young wife at home, family members who love me and want me to come back safe, community members who are supporting me, and me wanting nothing more than to get back home as soon as possible, but, there is something I have to do. I’ve been asked by my country, or volunteered, to fight for it. I’ve been trained, ready, and eager for the rain to stop so I can do the job I was brought here to do.
While performing said task, I know I might not make it home — the thing I want more than anything.
I have to push that aside. I have a higher duty to perform.
We all have goals. We all have dreams. We all have desires. How many of us would be willing and able to push those aside in the name of doing something more important?
The gifts of victory
The Allies won D-Day. They won the war in Europe. They later won the war in Japan.
The year 1945 was marked with many celebrations and a chance to be thankful and embrace life without war.
Unfortunately, other conflicts followed — in Korea, in Vietnam, in the Persian Gulf, in Afghanistan, and so on.
There’s always a battle somewhere. There is always something that has to be done.
Eighty years ago, more than 100,000 men wanted us to be able to savor the results of the sacrifices they made.
Those of us sitting in any sort of comfort right now asked a lot of these men to be able to do just that.
“Thanks” isn’t enough, but it doesn’t hurt.
What’s even better is feeling grateful and blessed for our freedoms today.
Even if some people don’t fully remember, acknowledge, or recall the sacrifices made, maybe that’s part of what was fought for — the freedom to take liberty for granted. What a gift, even if not fully understood.
Thank you for reading.
I’m praying for you.