Remembering D-day

It's impossible to remember anything which happened before our entry into this world.  It can only be appreciated if we take the time to research and imagine ourselves in that moment of time and going forward from there.  D-day is one of those historical events.  I have read about it, seen movies depicting the horror of that epic invasion, and even pretended to be aboard those landing crafts while "playing" army as a child.

However, it wasn't until I walked through the local cemetery on Memorial Day, placing flags on the graves of our veterans, that its impact truly hit me.  I saw a bronze marker with the inscription saying, "died on Omaha Beach June 6, 1944", and I am sure, there are thousands of similar plaques around this country and in the National cemeteries both here and abroad, which tell a similar story.

My father was involved in the Pacific conflict, and whenever we'd talk of his service experience, it would bring him to tears, so we'd quickly change the subject to honor both him and his fallen comrades.  It was something few WWII veterans could or would talk about.  Even as he aged, it never got any easier for him to talk about the horror of war.

He passed away this last year, but not at the hands of the enemy, but at the hand of a different enemy, time.  He was 93.  As he would have said, "he lived a good life".

It's up to all of us to keep the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice alive, because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have the prospects of a good life ourselves.   I pray for peace, and for the fallen who were so brave indeed!