The first casualty of D-Day was a British soldier by the name of Den Brotheridge. In the early hours of June 6th, he was killed while fighting to make preparation for the broader invasion which would take place throughout the morning. Over the course of that morning, thousands upon thousands would give the same sacrifice. Many paratroopers died in the air in the dead of night, and many more soldiers died on the famous beaches of Normandy not long after. Some of the dead on D-Day were just teenagers, others older with families. Brotheridge himself was 28, and had a baby girl born just weeks after his death. It’s hard to imagine now exiting a boat to a volley of gunfire, or jumping from a plane surrounded by AA blasts. It’s even harder to imagine doing that at 18 or 19 years old, or with a child waiting to be born. And yet many did, and many did not return home.
The sacrifice these men made is often said to have been for their country, and while that’s true in part, it was really deeper than that. These men died for the freedom of many nations to which they did not belong. They died so that freedom in general could be preserved. They died to stop a great evil which was spreading its cancer ravenously across the globe.
Today is the 72nd anniversary of D-Day, and I think it’s a day worth remembering. There were so many sacrifices that were made in the subsequent days and months following D-Day, from Normandy to Carentan to Bastogne, Guadacanal (actually prior to D-Day) to Okinawa, and they all merit remembrance, but perhaps D-Day can be thought of as representative.
A good question would then be: how should we honor this sacrifice? There are many ways, but here are some thoughts I’ve had about it.
First, pursue peace. There is a time to fight, but more often there is a time not to. So many wars are meaningless, the deaths senseless, and the outcome without consequence. War is not glorious. It is not good. It causes suffering immediately and in the long term. As an example, the highest divorce rates in U.S. history were seen immediately following WWII. I believe we still feel the impacts of that reality today. The death and suffering of war is not limited to the battlefield. We should remember this and honor that reality by seeking peace.
Second, pursue liberty. These men fought and died for liberty. Liberty is good, and we should desire it. But liberty requires personal responsibility. It requires that we look after our neighbors and choose to live virtuous lives in general. We should pursue liberty I believe in our government and society, but perhaps the best thing we can do is to live it out. Don’t wait for the government or someone else to do what I can freely do myself. Take responsibility, live virtuously. Without this, liberty will always revert back to tyranny.
Thirdly, I believe we should consider deeply who we support with our vote. Remember, the President has the ability to send our troops into harms way. They are the Commander in Chief. Too often this is forgotten in Presidential politics. We focus on what we will get out of an administration. We focus on what they will do to our political and social opponents. But real lives could hang in the balance. Furthermore, just as easily as a Hitler arose in Germany, such a person could arise on our own soil if we aren’t cautious and wise. From the federal government to the local, we should take seriously the right and freedom to vote. It is an opportunity to honor the sacrifices that made it possible.
Finally, we should continue to remember. History is filled with choices of courage, love, and sacrifice, which were within a generation forgotten and spoiled by those who never had to face the choice themselves. We so easily become spoiled and rotten. We should remember people who make these sacrifices and honor them by learning from their choices, and by making better choices ourselves because of what we learn.
There’s a danger in getting overly theoretical in this kind of thinking. It wasn’t theoretical for the men who died face down in the sands of Normandy, or engulfed in the flames of a plane slamming into the ground. They made a real choice with real consequences. But I do believe we should honor that choice and the freedom they fought to maintain. 72 years ago, on this, the “day of days,” thousands took up arms in defense of liberty, and defense of their fellow man. May we always remember their sacrifice, be thankful, and respond accordingly.