Almost 10 years ago I was fortunate to visit Normandy, France. I don't know what I was expecting; I felt the need to say thank you to the young soldiers who gave their lives. What I walked away with was a new perspective on how I view the challenges in my life and a new appreciation for the life I am able to live because of their sacrifice.
We visited the Normandy Beaches on a sunny but windy day in July. The land is overgrown now with wildflowers and populated by fat, bumbling bees, but is still heavily pockmarked from the bombs that hit past the shoreline. We stopped in the old Axis pillboxes that still dot the coast and gazed at the miles of beach through the gunwale. We had a perfect view.
Omaha Beach itself is perfectly flat, like many of the D-Day beaches. It is a shockingly long 300 yards from the shoreline to the bluffs of perfectly smooth, unblemished beach. The magnitude of what the young soldiers had to accomplish under heavy artillery fire was never so obvious to me than when I stood on that beach and looked up at those bluffs so far away from the shoreline.
I've always been grateful on Memorial Day for those troops who gave their lives for our country. But I never understood the challenge they faced. It's easy to hope that the water wasn't cold and choppy, that the distance was short to the bluffs, that the Axis forces did not have a bird's eye view of all that was on the beach, that the Allied troops didn't hear the screams or see the dead before them, and have to be brave anyway.
A lot was riding on the shoulders of these young men. The challenge they faced was not one of their choosing but instead on that had been thrust upon them. There was no going back, no refusing to get off the boat, no saying "Not today." They could only move forward as best they could towards an enemy with an upper hand. Their courage and willingness to accept the responsibility to fight not only for their lives but for the lives of their countrymen and the men, women and children of occupied France changed the course of the war in Europe.
The cemeteries that hold our American soldiers are carefully tended and meticulously maintained. There seems to be little else we can do to thank those who fought so valiantly on our behalf. It shocks me to think that they sacrificed so much and we have not much to give them in return except possibly our thanks and our dedication to preserving the country they fought to protect.
Today, I live in a country relatively unscathed by war. Although not perfect, the United States is fortunate. I don't always remember that the freedom that I have today came at a cost and that our soldiers continue to work to protect our country. The challenges I have pale in comparison to the challenges faced by American troops multiple times in multiple wars. One of the greatest challenges was D-Day, and to those remaining soldiers and to those who have passed I say, Thank you.
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