A Lesson in Courage

I first stood on Normandy beach in May of 1974. It was cold and windy, not unlike the weather on June 6, 1944. The expanse from the water’s edge to the sand cliffs was vacant, save for a few other tourists. But still very much in evidence were jagged shards of metal left from the battle that not only changed the tide of the war in Europe. It changed the way we think about sacrifice and courage.

I can’t imagine exactly what those men felt as they crossed La Manche (the “Sleeve” as the French call the English Channel). Fear certainly must have run through the officers’ minds. Others were so young, I’m certain they didn’t even know what to be afraid of. That might have been either a blessing or a curse – fear can either spur you on or paralyze you. But when we see the images of those landing vehicles, and of the carnage occurring as the men began pouring out of each boat, we can be sure those in the back of the boat must have felt a lightening bolt of terror streak through their hearts as they saw their buddies being cut down.

Those who were there talk about crawling over the bodies to get closer to the sand cliffs. They tremble remembering  the water was so full of blood that it looked like wine, and the screams of the men who didn’t die when first hit. To move forward meant you might soon be shot yourself. To stay behind meant you surely would be.

And then there was the mission: to take the beach, to climb up the cliff, to advance into the wolf’s lair of mainland Europe. D-Day and H-Hour had been planned as thoroughly as possible by the brightest military minds of the time. But no one could possibly foresee what kind of courage would rise to the occasion.

And rise it did. The men who survived D-Day, as well as those who did not, were on a mission they believed was necessary for the survival of life as they knew it. Their sacrifices were great. But their courage was greater.

We each have a duty today. If you know the story of D-Day, share it with someone who doesn’t. If you don’t know the story, please learn more. It’s a big day in human history – stories abound on the internet or in the newspapers. The bottom line: learn well this lesson in true courage. Then pass it on.