About a year ago my children, knowing my appreciation for history and my respect for war veterans, gave me a book for Father's Day called "The D-Day Companion."
It was originally published in 2004 to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the great D-Day invasion in which the United States and her allies began reclaiming Europe from the clutches of Adolph Hitler during World War II. It is a great tribute to any commemoration of D-Day.
Now the 70th anniversary of D-Day is upon us and it should not go unnoticed.
Quite simply, June 6, 1944 was one of the most crucial moments in history.
According to historian Stephen Ambrose, young American citizen-soldiers did their part to make sure the world would be safe for democracy.
Ambrose wrote in his book D-Day, June 6, 1944, The Climactic Battle of World War II, "... when the test came, when freedom had to be fought for or abandoned, they fought. They were soldiers of democracy. They were the men of D-Day, and to them we owe our freedom."
Historian Carlo D'Este wrote, "The significance of D-Day cannot be overestimated ... it meant that at long last the struggle was being taken directly to Nazi Germany, and that the liberation of Europe was at hand."
Major Dick Winters was a veteran of World War II in the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division in an elite company of paratroopers.
He passed away on Jan. 2, 2011, but his words continue to live on in numerous publications.
His role in World War II was extensively profiled in the book "Band of Brothers" by Ambrose, which was made in to a 2001 HBO mini-series.
Winters wrote in the forward of "The D-Day Companion" about his D-Day flight in the darkness from Britain to France over the English Channel. As a prelude to the invasion, they were to parachute in to a designated drop zone behind enemy lines. They had specific military objectives and would likely engage the enemy before the main invasion began at daylight.
"My mind filled with the excitement of being a vital part of the biggest invasion in history," he wrote, "and the tremendous responsibility I now faced of leading men in actual battle, all of us for the first time. I prayed that I was up to the challenge."
According to a book by historian Gerald Astor called "June 6, 1944 The Voices of D-Day," paratrooper Ed Jeziorski told a similar story as he was flown in to combat. "... I was apprehensive," he said, "as to what lay ahead. I did say a prayer, asking God to let me do the job for which I had been trained, and not to let my buddies down."
Stories such as these were common. Seventy years ago, literally thousands and thousands of Americans in the armed forces faced fearful scenarios as they were ushered in to battle.
They were afraid because they were human. But time after time after time, they forged ahead anyway, in spite of their fears. They simply had a job to do and an enemy to defeat.
America's future depended upon their success and they didn't let her down.
Winters wrote, "D-Day was the beginning of the end of Hitler's dream of conquering all Europe and eventually the world. At last the tide was turned and he was on the defensive."
D'Este wrote the conclusion of "The D-Day Companion" this way: "Each June the attention of the world is once again focused on Normandy. It is an occasion to re-affirm that the sacrifice of those who fought the battles and campaigns of the most devastating war in history will never go unremembered. It was that common purpose, the spirit and grit shown on D-Day, that has permitted democracies to survive. That is what we celebrate on June 6."
David Wilson, EdD, is one of the assistant principals at Jefferson City High School. You may e-mail him at [email protected].