In Remembrance of D-Day – June 6, 1944

Like most Americans today, I know only a fictionalized glimpse of the hell our soldiers encountered upon landing in Normandy on D-Day through films like Saving Private Ryan and documentaries or reading about the events that was the beginning of the end of Nazi rule. I did not personally know any of the brave soldiers who endured the carnage and to whom I owe the privilege of living in a free country where I can write, teach, practice law, worship and speak my mind without fear. But shortly after the release of Saving Private Ryan I had the unexpected pleasure of speaking with one of the men who stormed Omaha Beach on that fateful day.

I remember the neighbor that owned the property behind mine coming over to speak to me while I was trimming the long row of hedges that face out common street. What he came to speak to me about on that day I honestly don’t remember, but as I took a break and chatted with him, he asked me if I had seen the new movie, Saving Private Ryan. And I told him my wife and I had seen it just a few days before and that it had had a very significant impact on us both. He then grew quiet for a few breaths and told me “I was there.” He then went on to tell me he was a frog man (the precursors to the Navy Seals) and recounted the horrific experience. I listened intently to his opening up about the events he had witnessed and his part in the war. When he had finished, he said he had never talked about his experiences openly before but seeing the movie had brought it all back to him and he felt better for sharing his story. I shook his hand with tears in my eyes and thanked him for his service and told him I was very grateful to him and all who served during the war and honored to shake the hand of a true hero. He then looked back at me, seeming embarrassed, and wove off my comment, saying “I’m nothing special. I only finished High School and am not a lawyer and professor like you.” I responded, still shaking his hand, “Lawyers, professors and others with degrees and titles after their name are a dime a dozen. Men and women who served honorably and paid in blood and personal sacrifice for the freedom we enjoy are priceless, heroes all.” 

That exchange left me thinking for a long time about our forgotten soldiers in all wars. I think Saving Private Ryan was cathartic for my neighbor who has since passed away. But his part in the Normandy Invasion -- along with that of all allied soldiers, too many of whom never returned home, or returned grievously scarred for life -- endures. There are far too few left alive whom we can thank in person for their service in Europe or in the Pacific during World War II. But their legacy will never die. As we see the grave markers tomorrow on televised coverage and hear politicians’ speeches, I hope we will all remember that beneath each simple white cross lies someone whose life was cut short to preserve our freedom here at home and in all countries occupied by tyrants. We do not know their stories, or the emptiness and pain felt by their families back home. What we do know and should never forget is the debt of honor we owe to them that can never be fully repaid. May God bless them all and all who fought and fight for freedom with honor on D-Day and every day.