DDay Plus One

Yesterday marked the 64th anniversary of one of the most important and incredible days in our national history, and while I thought about the importance of the day throughout and intended to write, I didn't get around to it, so on the idea that late is better than never, here goes nothing.

I would like to start off by paying my respects to those who gave their lives on this day, and for that matter on any day from April 19, 1775 to the present day. While my pacifist, anti-war sentiments are a matter of record, my respect for those who serve their country in the military and who put their lives on the line is immense. Any tribute that I would offer to these soldiers is by definition lacking, as I have not been willing to make the same sacrifices, so I offer my humble appreciation to those that have and do. I will continue to oppose the war in Iraq, not because I am unpatriotic or callous to what our soldiers are trying to accomplish, but because I believe with all my soul that to send young men and women into battle is something with grave consequences and should be done only under the most extreme, most urgent, and most necessary circumstances. If I felt that such a situation truly existed and that I could play a part, I would willingly join such a cause and serve my country. There is a scene in the greatest and most humane war movie ever created, "Saving Private Ryan", that always brings tears to my eyes. It is the scene where Captain Miller, played by Tom Hanks, tells the men that he is an English teacher back home and coaches baseball in the springtime. He wonders how he'll ever tell his wife about "days like today" when he gets home. That sums up the sacrifices made by those who served at Normandy, who landed on Omaha and Utah beaches on June 6, 1944, and who proceeded to form the greatest fighting force in history and to defeat the biggest threat to peace and liberty ever put together. It speaks to the fact that these were not trained killers, but regular, every-day people, put into incredible circumstances, doing whatever they could to accomplish their mission, protect their buddies who fought alongside them, and make it home to their families and friends.

Of course many never made it home, and many of those who did are no longer with us, fewer and fewer of them as time continues to pass. But like the deeds of Achilles and Hector over 3000 years ago, what they did and how they lived will continue to live on well after they have passed. As an aside, I am not comparing the accomplishments of the soldiers during Operation Overlord to those of the Trojan War, the Normandy invasion was infinitely more important and necessary, I am simply using an analogy to illustrate how one's actions may long outlive the man himself.

As a pacifist, I am completely fascinated and intrigued by combat, by the methods used, the reasons for fighting, the results produced, and ultimately by the mindset, discipline, and commitment of those who engage in battle. I suppose it may be tantamount to a vegetarian being interested in the different cuts of beef, but it is who I am and what interests me, so be it. I like to think that by better understanding military tactics and as best I can as someone who has never experienced it first hand, what it must feel like to be in battle, that I can gain a greater appreciation of the world around me and those I share it with. One thing that strikes me consistently is that those who have experienced it, at least the ones I have known, are the least likely to glorify war, least likely to consider themselves to be heroes, and the most likely to recognize unnecessary and immoral wars when they see them. The opposite tends to hold true as well, namely that those who seem to be the most gung-ho are the ones that have never experienced the whiff of grapeshot. I always took John McCain to be an example of the former and George W. Bush and Bill Clinton examples of the latter, unfortunately McCain seems to have become a major hawk, one of the reasons that make his candidacy for president a non-starter for me.

But back to the men who landed on the coast of northern France three score and four years ago, and for that matter all of those who served in the War. I believe that I, and we as a nation and free society owe such a gratitude to these people and to their families and friends who sacrificed for a cause greater than any self interest or material gain. It is a gratitude that comes from the depths of my soul, and can only be expressed fully by living a decent, honest life of service to others, to my family first and foremost, to my friends and acquaintances, and to my fellow citizens and residents, whether they be my students or the guy down the street that I hardly know. We are all Americans, and even beyond that we are all citizens of the world. We are all in this thing together, and despite numerous differences, we share a common national and cultural heritage, we share a common humanity. That humanity was seriously threatened seven decades ago by the forces of tyranny and oppression, and it is a tribute to the soldiers and those on the home front, not only in America, but in Britain, France, and numerous other allied countries, that we live today in a world that while imperfect, offers more freedom, liberty, and equality than it ever has, certainly more than it would have had the Nazis and Fascists won the day. So this is my tribute on DDay plus one, it may not be much but it's what I have to offer in my own unique way, it's my best effort to remember, honor, and respect what those much greater and more courageous than I have given to me, and to all of us.