Before we answer the question in the headline, we need to reflect on D-Day in 1944. This action was the largest multinational assault in history. The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries.
Almost 133,000 troops from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and their allies landed on D-Day. Casualties from these countries during the landing numbered 10,300. By June 30, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores.
The average age of American servicemen that day was 20. Barely out of high school, some lied about their age to volunteer; these heroes were the pinnacle of patriotism and sacrifice. 1944 was a point in time when there was a national love for our country. It was fashionable to be patriotic, and few would dissent from that national wave. These men and women left home to go to fight and die for future generations to enjoy peace and freedom. Some went to Europe to fight the Germans and Italians, while some, like my dad, went to the South Pacific to turn back the Japanese. They did their jobs in both theaters, came home, built a great country, and never spoke about their experiences. They did not start the battle but banded together to shut it down quickly and became the Greatest Generation, a title they will never lose.
Today, patriotism is challenged rather than embraced. You only need to look at the unrest on college campuses in May, where students occupied. Courtyards and buildings alike in an attempt to get these schools to suspend financial activities with Israel. These ignorant young adults have been indoctrinated since the first day they set foot in a classroom. They have been told America is an evil country built with the blood and sweat of Black slaves. They have been taught that capitalism is corrupt and designed so that only the rich do well. They are convinced that our Republic is broken and should be replaced with a Socialist form instead, where everyone has an equal outcome regardless of the effort invested.
How could we ever see these ungrateful individuals setting aside their dreams and wishes to come together and put their lives on the line to thwart a foe who wants to harm America? It is unrealistic, and we best hope that there is no Third Reich on the horizon, or we best learn to speak German.
We are seeing the beginnings of countries positioning themselves to become the sole superpower in control of the globe. China is attacking us economically and killing our citizens in their prime with Fentanyl. They are buying up our farmland and setting up thousands of illegal pot farms nationwide. They have been stealing our intellectual property for years, and our men and women have shown their stripes. Rather than rallying around the flag and saying not in our backyard, recruitment numbers are falling well below goals.
The Greatest Generation will be gone in a few years, and they will pass knowing that no future generation will threaten their title. It was well earned, and I am sure it gives them no satisfaction to see what America has evolved into. Today’s America is not what their brothers and sisters spilled their blood for. We salute and thank you, men and women of World War II, and we are sorry for what happened on our watch.
As the great President Ronald Reagan said in 1984: “If not us, who? If not now, when? The Greatest Generation said we will, and now. God Bless them and wrap his arms around them.
