Posted by Hannah on May 26th 2016
The anniversary of D-Day, also known as the Normandy Landings, is on June 6th. This pivotal day in history is recognized as the beginning of the end of the war in Europe when brave young men risked their lives to achieve freedom and victory. In the months and weeks leading up to D-Day, the Allied forces carried out deception operations to mislead the Germans about the main invasion target. The magnitude of the operation is difficult to comprehend; the level of intelligence, the extent of the planning and timing, and the size of the fleet involved is truly unimaginable. The casualties of the American, British and Canadian forces on this day alone, was over 10,000 men. Survivors of this invasion tell of the warriors seen floating in a sea of blood.
What went through the minds of these men who were called on to fight this battle? To play an active role in liberating the world from Nazism would undoubtedly be no easy feat, but as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower transmitted in his message prior to the invasion: “You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.”
When I think of these words, the task appears truly honorable. The level of bravery, commitment and sacrifice is easy to admire, but may be hard to appreciate. Why? Because when we stand on the sidelines, we may not recognize the price that must be paid for the freedom and democracy that we are lucky to enjoy. Many of us take our experiences for granted and hardly stop to pay attention to the process that is critical for every achievement. But the survivors need us to listen to their story, to our history, and to then pass it on. It is absolutely vital that we recognize what was sacrificed to allow us the world we live in today. It’s the very least we can do.
And yet, while many challenges have been overcome, new ones present themselves each day which must also be met with heroism and courage. Unfortunately, the fight for liberty never ends and we are to take the message of D-Day into our current battles. Goodness wins when we are willing to fight for it and we must therefore never give up. The goal may seem out of reach, but it is absolutely worth it.
D-Day is a great opportunity to take the time to learn more about this period in history, by visiting a museum or reading the personal stories of the heroes. The D-Day Newspaper is a great keepsake to better understand the scale of the invasion and the ensuing weeks and months. You may want to honor a WWII Veteran with this exclusive D-Day Stamp and Coin Set to let them know that we are grateful for their sacrifice.
Let’s make it known that we will continue to fight for a great world where freedom prevails at any cost!