Thank A World War II Veteran

Across the Fence #521

This week we celebrate Veteran’s Day. It honors all veterans who served at any time in any capacity. Peacetime or wartime, everyone who served did their part. They were ready to step forward if called upon to defend our country or a foreign country. I would like to focus on World War II veterans in this column.

Do you know what D-Day was and where it took place? One day I was having a conversation with a young man in his 20’s. He wanted to know if I was a member of the Baby Boomer generation. I told him, no, I was even older, I was part of the Silent Generation. I said I was born during World War II, a month before D-Day. That’s when he asked me what D-Day was. You could have heard my jaw hit the floor.

I guess we should never take anything for granted. Never assume that everybody knows about scientific facts or some major event from history, just because we do. At an age that many would consider elderly, I’m beginning to wonder what kind of science and history are being taught in schools and colleges. First I read in a Gallup poll, that 4 in 10 Americans believe the earth was created less than 10,000 years ago. Then I find out that a major event during my lifetime, D-Day, isn’t even known about. I realize some schools teach different versions of science and creation, but I thought they all covered historical events, especially an important one like D-Day that changed the course of World War II.

I thought maybe it was just that this young man hadn’t been paying attention in history class the day they talked about World War II. Maybe there was a big football game that evening and his mind was on the game. I decided to ask a second young, college graduate if they knew what D-Day was. They didn’t know either. 

That’s when I decided to see if this lack of knowledge was widespread. I started doing some research and read a column by American journalist, Cal Thomas, who also bemoaned the loss of knowledge about American history in a D-Day, 70th anniversary column that he titled, “D-Day=Dumb Day for Too Many.” He cited statistics in a study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). Only 40% of Americans know what D-Day is and that it took place on June 6, 1944. Also, only 70% of recent college graduates knew that D-Day occurred during World War II, and 10% of them thought the beach where the invasion took place was Pearl Harbor. Mr. Thomas then remarked about the World War II veterans visiting the beaches of Normandy, probably for the last time in their lives, “if they could have foreseen what America would become and how little their descendants know, or care, about their sacrifices, would they have done what they did? They probably would because of their character.”

The anticipation just before hitting the beach.

I agree with Mr. Thomas. I think they would still have done what they did because they were part of what’s been called “the greatest generation.” That’s why those statistics sadden and bother me. For anyone who may not know what D-Day is, let me give you a brief history lesson. On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified coastline.This initiated the effort to liberate mainland Europe from Hitler’s Nazi occupation during World War II. It was the largest airborne and seaborne invasion in history. More than 5,000 naval vessels and 13,000 aircraft took part in the D-Day invasion. There were over 10,000 allied casualties, with 4,414 confirmed dead. The exact number of casualties may never be known. Many of the men killed on the beaches of Normandy had never heard of it until a few weeks before they landed. We can’t even imagine the horrors those men endured during that invasion. Their actions changed the course of the war. The foothold they gained on D-Day, gradually expanded as they gained more ground and led to the allied victory over Germany in Europe. People alive today, need to remember those veterans.

Hundreds of books have been written about D-Day and movies have been made about it. The Longest Day, Band of Brothers, and Saving Private Ryan, are three of the more famous ones.  

There were 16,112,566 members of the United States Armed Forces during World War II. As of September 9, 2014, the Department of Veterans Affairs estimated that 1,017,208 American veterans from that war were still alive. They are dying at the rate of 555 per day. By the end of 2014, there could be less than one million World War II veterans left. If you know a World War II veteran, thank them for their service and the many sacrifices they made. If you know a D-Day veteran, let them know that you remember and appreciate what they did to help bring about the defeat of Hitler’s forces, liberate Europe, and keep freedom in the world alive.

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