Today we commemorate the 69th anniversary of the D-Day landings. On June 6,
1944, the Allies landed on the beaches of Normandy to liberate Europe from Nazi
power.
In August 2007, I was privileged to stand on Omaha Beach on a
misty, overcast morning not unlike the men faced that historic day. As I stood
on that long stretch of sand and gazed at those high bluffs which once bristled
with machine guns, I was moved deeply. We've all seen the movies and watched the
footage - men dashing with rifles in hand, stumbling in the waves, beckoning
their buddies onward, sheltering against debris - falling to the sand. But being
there and feeling that sand beneath my feet gave me another level of
understanding.
Today the Normandy beaches bristle with people on holiday - those who come
to remember, and those who come to play. Children laugh and chase the waves and
build sand castles. Tourists stand in silence, wipe tears, take pictures. This
is as it should be.
Sixty-nine years ago, 155,000 American, British
Commonwealth, and Free French troops landed in the biggest amphibious operation
in history, along with free people from many other occupied nations. Take a
moment today and remember those who risked their lives, who gave their lives so
we can live in freedom. Labels: D-Day, D-Day anniversary, Normandy, World War II
