Monday, June 06, 2005
June 6, 1944 -- D-Day
There is nothing I, or anyone else, can say that will effect the importance of the events of June 6, 1944. Ultimately, the history of world events has judged, and will continue to judge, the effects and meaning of the titanic events of that day.
In thinking about D-Day, and the tremendous sacrifice made on those bloody beaches, consider the following, which I find eerily appropriate:
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…
The Normandy invasion was one major step in a world-wide clash of ideas and ideals, and those who gave their lives did so in an effort to save civilization from bloody and oppressive tyrants, from totalitarian regimes which believed that the individual human life was unimportant, which sought to impose and maintain their systems over others by force and terror, which held that the state had the right to determine the value of a human life based on the religious beliefs, ethnic heritage, or physical or mental condition of that life.
This struggle is not over. And those of us who are here today should be rededicated “to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…”
NOTE: The quotes you will hopefully recognize. They are from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
In thinking about D-Day, and the tremendous sacrifice made on those bloody beaches, consider the following, which I find eerily appropriate:
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…
The Normandy invasion was one major step in a world-wide clash of ideas and ideals, and those who gave their lives did so in an effort to save civilization from bloody and oppressive tyrants, from totalitarian regimes which believed that the individual human life was unimportant, which sought to impose and maintain their systems over others by force and terror, which held that the state had the right to determine the value of a human life based on the religious beliefs, ethnic heritage, or physical or mental condition of that life.
This struggle is not over. And those of us who are here today should be rededicated “to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain…”
NOTE: The quotes you will hopefully recognize. They are from Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
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