On This Day in 1944
Topic: World War II
Take a few moments today to remember the men who died, and others who risked death, on this day in 1944 in the invasion of Normandy, known as D-Day, in order to conquer forces of evil.  The white crosses and stars of David still stand in fields beyond the beaches.  Thousands of fathers, mothers, and wives received telegrams from the government soon after that day, reporting that their sons and husbands were among the dead or missing.

Contrast these sacrifices, and those that followed, and the loyal support of all Americans for the war effort, practically without exception, with the efforts of liberals and the opposition party to defund the troops and undermine their morale in the present war against radical Muslims.

The news media today trumpets from the rooftops each disaster, every shortcoming, every friendly fire incident, as proofs against the present war.  Those who know the history of World War II know that there were disasters that dwarf any in the Middle East, there were friendly fire incidents manifold, there was widespread incompetence amongst the leadership, and there were many episodes of atrocity.  It has been said that had the American people known at the time how badly we were beaten by Rommel at the Battle of Kasserine Pass, they would have demanded that we pull out of the war immediately.  Patton's tanks were starved of gas by bureaucrats.  Troops entered the worst winter in 20 years without proper winter boots and clothing, and thousands were killed in the Battle of the Bulge.

War is a dirty business, a necessary evil.  Thousands would yet die in frontal assaults on Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.  US ships approaching Japan were steadily decimated by Kamikazes.  After predicting losses in an invasion of the Japanese mainland, it was estimated that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which forced Japan to surrender, actually saved at least a million lives on each side.  To this day, my father, who about this time was being stationed on board the Battleship Alabama, says, "I am one of the two million."

As Tom Hanks said at a memorial honoring the Greatest Generation, "We had a job to do.  We didn't like it -- but we did it."

Finally, consider what the consequences would have been if, after invading France, Congress had decided the price was too high, and unilaterally pulled out our troops.  How long would our nation's economy had stood?  How long would our shores have remained uninvaded, and our nation remained free?

PH