D Day + 65

June the 6th, 1944 - forever etched into the world's consciousness as D Day, occurred 65 years ago today. It will forever be remembered as a day that marked the "beginning of the end" of World War II in Europe, the first step in the liberation of France and one of the most remarkable events in the history of the world. It is right that it be remembered as such, and more.

But to me it is also a date upon which to reflect upon and honor those men and women of a generation, slowly vanishing, that experienced their "day of days" on that date. They were called, most notably by Tom Brokaw, the "greatest generation." They set aside their hopes and aspirations, and in many cases their lives, in pursuit of a common goal. This, in itself, is remarkable enough, for they set aside what they wanted and took up the challenge of what needed to be done. But to me, the truly extraordinary thing was was their aim, not to conquer or aggrandize or even survive, but to liberate the oppressed.

I fear that never again will we stand united in pursuit of such a lofty vision. We have become polarized and fragmented. The "Me generation" has replaced those who fought and sacrificed.
I often wonder how our country would now respond to a similar challenge. I know, we displayed unity and resolve in the days after 9/11, but what have we sacrificed as a country? Surely the lives of soldiers and sailors and airmen and marines, but not on the same scale. 10,000 Allied casualties were suffered in one battle, on one day. We have to take off our shoes at the airport, in 1944 you couldn't even buy shoes. We complain about the price of gas while then most civilians were limited to 5 gallons a week. We "slave away" at our jobs for 40 hours a week, but many defense plant and shipyard workers put in 12 - 18 hours a day, six or seven days a week, for years.

Now they are passing on at an increasing rate, yet they are mostly invisible to us. We see not the corporal, or the seaman, or the defense worker. We see the greeter at Wal Mart, or the usher at Church, or the older person sitting alone at the cafe. So I raise my hand in a salute to them, the dwindling ranks of the World War II veterans of either the war fronts or the home front. And if you happen to come across an " eighty or ninety something" person, buy them a beer, or an iced tea, or a cup of coffee and ask them, "What did you do in the War?" You might be surprised.