D-Day Thoughts
Each year that passes leaves us with fewer and fewer of our World War II veterans, but they’re still here. As I make my way through San Diego, I encounter men and women alike who either served or who were dependants of those who did. They are an important part of our community and our history. If you get the chance, take the time to sit and talk with them. I can guarantee you’ll learn something new, something not found in a history book or on Wikipedia. We owe them so much. We owe them everything.
For more on D-Day in general, I point you again to Untold Stories of D-Day for a bit of perspective. Also check out Military History Online.
As always, my advice to you is to embrace our veterans. Learn from them, just as Little Dude and I have.
I leave you with a bit of conversation we had with one Ranger’s thoughts about what he experienced on D-Day:
He was young “and more than a little naive” he said. But he was brave and “scrappy enough” to have made it through training and to have survived enemy fire. Too many of his friends didn’t survive. It was a heartache he carried with him always. “You don’t know how it’ll feel until it happens. You don’t know the meaning of true friendship until it’s ripped from your hands.” We asked if he regretted his military service. “Hell, no! It was right. It was necessary. Not a goddamned person with a lick of common sense would tell you otherwise. I went into the military a boy, wet behind the ears. I came out a man. It was the best and worst thing I’ve ever done. I wish I could unsee what I saw, but I can’t. All I could do is learn to live with the ghosts and know we did what we did for the greater good. Every young man should spend time in the military and learn a thing or two. I wouldn’t wish them to see what I did, but I think they should all learn what I learned.”
It’s all too easy to dismiss what we don’t know, what we can’t know, what we’ve never experienced. Don’t take the “easy road”. Take time to listen instead. We won’t have opportunities like this for much longer. And it’s better to hear it from one who has been there than to read with detachment from some book.
Amen.
“It was the best and worst thing I’ve ever done. I wish I could unsee what I saw, but I can’t. All I could do is learn to live with the ghosts and know we did what we did for the greater good.”
That just kills me. Thank God for the men and women who put themselves in harm’s way for our nation. May the Lord bless each and every one.
Comment by Pam — 2009/06/06 @ 05:29
I love the last paragraph. So true. So so true.
Comment by Cheri @ Blog This Mom! — 2009/06/06 @ 07:20
While we were out the other day, we found ourselves beside a Korean War veteran who had flags on his car. My daughter looked over at this old, fragile man and said “Mom, he’s wearing his uniform. That is so COOL.” and I was so proud of her for thinking that. It is cool. It is esteemed. And he deserves those flags on his car, and to wear that dress uniform every single day, if he chooses.
Comment by Leanne — 2009/06/06 @ 07:41
Being a fan of military history, I can always appreciate a veteran’s firsthand account of wars that have shaped our history for better or worse. And they have a perspective that no one that hasn’t been there will never be able to grasp. Especially those elitist liberal snobs (like our current CINC) who go around the world apologizing for our “atrocities”, or try to portray Harry Truman as a war criminal for using the a-bomb. Those are the ones that should be sent to Iraq or Afghanistan as cannon fodder, at least until they understand fully what defending your country’s all about.
Comment by diamond dave — 2009/06/06 @ 07:44
Amen to that. Our WW2 generation has an entirely different mindset than the current one. We can’t go back and change that, but it would be nice to show the selfish young people that life isn’t all about them. Heh.
Comment by Teresa — 2009/06/06 @ 09:16
Good post. I always loved listening to my grandfather’s stories about that era.
Comment by Jan — 2009/06/06 @ 11:26
:grouphug: I’m so proud to have friends like all of you. You totally get it.
Comment by DaGoddess — 2009/06/06 @ 12:58
And I just thought to add:
Call me crazy, but it seems like we have a whole generation of kids who don’t know their grandparents or any other older people. My kids have three out of four grandparents within driving distance. They’re used to spending time with them. But we still adopt other “honorary” grandparents because they’re interesting and lovely people. My own parents did this with us. We had an endless network of non-blood family members. It makes me sad when I meet kids who have no concept of older adults…anyone older than their parents, that is. What a loss of oral history and community and…well, you get it. I know you do. I mean, even if you don’t have any living grandparents, I really think there should be some older friends who are worked into the role, into our children’s lives.
Sigh.
I know. It’s crazy talk. It just drives me nuts thinking that we’re losing a precious part of “family” that we may never get back. That we’ll lose heritage, tradition, actual connections to our past. I wish everyone had the opportunities I’ve had to meet some amazing people.
And now…I’m done. Whew.
Comment by DaGoddess — 2009/06/06 @ 17:08
It never ceases to amaze me how phenomenal previous generations were. Today, you get a hangnail or have a tough time meeting a deadline at work and we call it “stress”. Yeah, right. Compare that with what my grandparents’ generation did: storming Normandy beach under fire, taking Iwo Jima, all the blood baths they fought so people now can complain about “stress” in their lives… and also complain about whether it’s right or wrong to carry on the fight so that their children and grandchildren can continue to enjoy the same rights.
Comment by Bill — 2009/06/06 @ 17:40
Precisely, Bill.
Comment by DaGoddess — 2009/06/06 @ 17:50