Reflections on D-Day

I enjoyed this weekend in a very American way. I watched my youngest daughter play in a softball tournament at the local ball fields. Popcorn and soda, cheering and grumbling, and the warmth of a late spring Saturday that gave me a touch of sunburn. That was my June 6th, 2009. And yet, as a military historian, the events of June 6th, 1944 were not far from my thinking. I wish that I could say that was true of every year on that date. There have been years in which the date arrived and maybe even passed before I realized it. Given that I have devoted a substantial amount of study to the Allied invasion of Normandy, that would seem to be unforgivable. But that was not true of this year. I remembered.

I read an editorial in the local newspaper this morning. It provoked a lot of thought on my part. It raised the question of remembrance of D-day. How different is the "memory" of that day today as opposed to during the years immediately following the war. But then those years stretch to decades and the immediacy of the event starts to fade. Annual remembrance on the part of the Allied nations moves from yearly ceremonies to more significant anniversaries. Twenty years, twenty five, forty, fifty, and sixty years. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary, Ronald Reagan gave a moving tribute to the Army Rangers who scaled Pont du Hoc on the Normandy coast. Ever the compelling orator, Reagan captured the meaning of the sacrifice that took place in France forty years previous to his momentous speech which he delivered in front of the stone dagger that stands as a monument for the Rangers. Now, 65 years since the invasion, that monument sits precariously at the edge of the the cliffs once scaled by the Rangers. Erosion of the cliff face because of the power of the sea makes the very location of the Reagan speech a dangerous place to visit; so much so that a safety perimeter has been established to keep visitors from wandering too close to the crumbling ground. (Photographs at right by David Chapman) Although Pont du Hoc has been preserved so that visitors can see the craters from naval guns and aerial bombing, the power of nature takes the hallowed ground away with each passing day. Just as the elements conspire to take the memory of D-day from us, so too does time.

This year, the 65th anniversary was observed on the grounds of the American Cemetary on the bluffs above Omaha Beach. Speakers included French President Nicolas Sarkozy, U.S. President Barak Obama, as well as Prince Charles of the United Kingdom and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada. The words of these men were eloquent. Sarkozy's comments were moving, particularly those lauding the cooperation of the four nations in 1944 and the hope for a peaceful Europe in the coming years. It is my fervent hope that peace will prevail and global war such as that which took place in World War Two will never again plague this planet. War does exist and will continue to do so. No matter how idealistic individual leaders or even nations may be, it seems there will always be those who are not to be satisfied with cooperative efforts and peace. Who provokes who? Who covets the wealth of others? These are but two questions that may provide the answers to whether global war may return. Of course, what the nature of the enemies or weapons used may be will determine not only the outcome of the war but the future of mankind. Normandy should help us recall the courage that leads to the defeat of evil in the world. The Cold War and related proxy wars should remind us of the continuing menace of war.

God bless those who fought in Operation Overlord and the battles that followed. Though our memories may fade, nothing will supplant that June day, that "longest day" in the words of Corneleus Ryan, as one of the turning points of human history.