Remembering Normandy

Sixty-six years ago yesterday, Allied forces began their invasion of the European continent in an effort to push back German forces and defeat Hitler's Nazi army once and for all. The landings at Normandy, commonly referred to by many as D-Day, has been in the collective consciousness of most general war buffs for a long time and even those who aren't as avid a history buff as the rest of us tend to know about this event thanks in part to films like "Saving Private Ryan". But as I thought about it, while I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the men and women who fought and served in World War II, I feel that just as much respect and admiration is deserved by the men and women serving our country now.

Some make the argument that World War II was the last "good war" fought by our nation and if one simplifies things that's probably very true. Our country was fighting a common enemy that had declared war on the world, not just on one nation in particular. Had Germany not declared war on the United States alongside Japan following their attack on Pearl Harbor, it's quite possible that June 6th may never have had significance to the world at large. Yet things happened the way they did and the invasion of Normandy ended up changing the course of the European front in the war. That's not to imply that nothing of significance or importance was happening elsewhere on other fronts in the war. On the contrary, it's often forgotten by many that battles that were just as important were being fought in the Pacific as well.

And it was that thought that made me pause and think about the fact that not everyone seems to be aware about what happened in the Pacific or on the Eastern Front of Europe on that day. And then I got to thinking about all the other conflicts our country has been in from World War II onwards and whether you support the war effort or not, it's sad to think that people forget about the sacrifices being made by our servicemen and women on an almost daily basis, especially in the days since 2001. But even before then, perhaps the wars weren't on the scale of World War II but they were no less important, or dangerous. Operations that the public knows of such as those in Somalia and Bosnia, as well as the first Gulf War and all the wars since have required just as much bravery and sacrifice. Isn't it important to remember those dates as well?

June 6th is often credited as being the beginning of the end of the German war machine and we should remember these dates for their significance. Just the way we remember 9/11 and how it changed our world, we should also remember October 7th, 2001. That was the day that the invasion of Afghanistan began, less than a month after the 9/11 attacks. It's now coming close to becoming the longest conflict in which the country has been in combat situations since Vietnam. There also sacrifices are being made which will have an impact on the future of our nation and it is no less important. Remembering the significance of June 6th is a wonderful thing but I hope that it also helps us to remember the significance of today's servicemen and women as well.