On June 6, 1944, the United States and its allies launched the
largest air and sea armada in world history. The purpose of this
mission was clear: liberate Europe from the grip of Nazi
despotism.
The landings on the Normandy beaches led to unprecedented death
and destruction. American soldiers leaving their amphibious
landing crafts measured their life expectancy in minutes. In the
first hour of battle hundreds lost their lives and in succeeding
waves thousands were killed as the beaches at Omaha and Utah were
soaked with the blood of young men in their teens and early
twenties.
At Pointe du Hoc Rangers scaled the sheer cliffs on rope hangers.
When one was killed by German bullets another stepped on the
precarious rungs. Of the 224 Rangers who scaled those cliffs only
90 survived, but as historians observed rarely in history has
there been such a display of courage, fortitude and sacrifice.
This was the beginning of a great epoch in history that led
ultimately to the defeat of Hitler's Germany. But history has a
way of describing the big picture and leaving out the tales of
individual bravery by young men who a year or two earlier were
playing high school basketball, working on a farm or applying to
college. History called their number and they responded. Tom
Brokaw called them "America's greatest generation."
It is hard to know if they made history or history demanded
heroic deeds from them. Perhaps it was a little of both. But
standing in the cemetery at the Normandy Beach and observing row
after row of those who gave their lives for a cause greater than
themselves, I am humbled by those who died so future generations
could live freely.
There is another thought that crossed my mind in this crowded
necropolis. I don't understand how anyone, much less the
president of the United States, could apologize for American
actions abroad in the last century or this one. With all the
mistakes and miscalculations, there has never been a force for
good more notable than the United States' military.
Ask the citizens of Caen, Bayeux, St. Lo, Archante what they
thought about G.I.'s in their midst. Residents of these towns
were saved from enslavement by Americans who fought Panzer
divisions in their backyards. Generals Eisenhower, Patton, and
Bradley left devastation in their advancing wake, but they
brought with them armies that yielded freedom and set the stage
for a level of prosperity Europe has enjoyed ever since.
It is difficult for most Europeans to remember the past. After
all, who wants to remember an uncle that bailed you out of a jam?
Here in Normandy, however, conditions are different. Citizens of
this region were there on the front line. Omaha Beach is Bloody
Omaha to them and the American flag still stands as a reminder.
This June, the 65th anniversary of D-Day will be celebrated. For
most Americans and most Europeans it is simply another day in
late spring. Some octogenarians may remember that fateful day
when the liberation of Europe began. Many, however, knowing
nothing about history will be disinclined to pay any special
attention to the day.
I recall seeing Steven Spielberg's film Saving Private
Ryan, in which, with extraordinary verisimilitude, the
director recaptured the events at Omaha Beach. As the film began
and the bloodshed was evident, a young lady seated behind me
asked her friend, "What war do you think this is?"
For the fallen heroes lying in their graves this ignorance is
lamentable. Perhaps it explains why President Obama can apologize
and apologize again and many Americans can applaud, or at the
very least, accept his gesture for foreign consumption. I cannot.
I am appalled that we can ignore, forget or rationalize away
American heroism.
I don't think we should ever apologize for what the United States
has done to extricate millions from the yoke of totalitarian
control. It is not arrogance to recall the limbs that were
shattered and the bodies broken to set history on the course of
democracy, imperfect as it is.
Before President Obama stands supinely before the G-20 again and
engages in a form of national self-flagellation, I would urge him
to stand amid the crosses and stars in Normandy cemetery and
recall the sacrifices made by those youngsters so that he could
be president of the United States and breathe an unadorned
version of freedom
