Don't ever forget D-Day and what it meant for our nation

One of the greatest days of the 20th century was June 6, 1944. The old age and old order of Europe didn't end that day, but it was the beginning of the end and the beginning of the new age of peace and prosperity that we have enjoyed for these 73 years since. On that day, soldiers of the American, British and Canadian forces stormed the beaches of northern France in Normandy and began the series of battles that 10 months later would lead to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Since that date, the United States has held a position of leadership unequaled in world history. It has been America's role to, as President John F. Kennedy said, to oppose any foe and to bear any burden to advance the cause of freedom. Such a role caused a heightening of tension between the superpowers known as the Cold War, which turned into hot wars in Korea and Vietnam, and near world destruction with the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.

But there has been much peace and prosperity since the end of World War II.
There is still lots of work to do in the most desperately poor areas of the world, and religious fanaticism threatens the stability that has brought the world the relative peace it has enjoyed.  So D-Day is a day for all of us to remember. And to remember the soldiers of D-Day.

I first had the idea write about D-Day in 1994, in time for the 50th anniversary and when many of the participants were still alive. As editor of Oak Leaves at that time, I put out a call for D-Day veterans to contact me to tell their stories in a special commemorative issue of the paper. I thought a couple veterans would call. I was wrong. Ten times that called and they were happy to finally tell their stories after 50 years. Some were still troubled by their experience, including the River Forest man who cried at the end of the story of his landing at Omaha Beach, known as bloody Omaha, and his horrific efforts just to survive the landing at 6 a.m. to the evening of the first day.

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