D-Day and Veterans Remembered

Today marks the 65th anniversary of the turning point in WWII. On that day, thousands of American and allied soldiers lost their lives, and thousands more were wounded, trying to preserve our collective freedoms.

We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to every American veteran and soldier who has or will lay their lives on the line for the American dream. How can any of those who lack military experience truly understand the personal sacrifice and commitment that it takes to be an American soldier? How can they truly understand the emotional toll that impacts military families while their loved ones are in harm's way??

3 generations after WWII, many Americans have lost sight of what freedom really means or have become squeamish about paying the cost, in terms of personal sacrifice, to continue to insure we retain it. Few understand how fragile the fabric of freedom really is. I am a 7th generation American; my husband is a 2nd generation. At least one person (most times many) in each of those generations, both sides of our family, served America in the military. They valued their freedoms, they fought for their freedoms and they instilled a love of those freedoms in their children and grandchildren.

It seems strangely odd that all 3 world leaders, Obama, Brown and Sarkozy(who are putting on the big media show today) lack military experience. These men all appear to be squeamish about confrontations or war, in general, choosing instead to operate in an environment of hollow niceties and "worldview" diplomacy.

"Worldview" diplomacy lacks the intrinsic "teeth" of honest debate and weakens the veracity of America's commitment to guarding our freedoms, in an attempt to avoid losing some "fair weather friends". All 3 leaders lack the "first person" understanding of what "the cost of freedom" really is and what it truly cost to get this far. For that matter, a large portion of our own Congress appears to lack the understanding, as well. In the words of President Abraham Lincoln, "Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale, and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled or be changed!!!" Lucky for many in Congress they weren't serving during Lincoln's terms!

It is not surprising, therefore, that these 3 world leaders purposely omitted Queen Elizabeth II (who served her country in WWII, as did many other women) from the observance. I say purposely because there was adequate public attention to the matter and ample time to correct an honest oversight.

I am not sure if they wanted to avoid the world's comparison of old and new leadership styles, if their egos couldn't deal with their collective lack of military experience, in constrast to a female monarch who was actively involved in WWII, or if it was just a personal snub.

Whatever the case, omitting Queen Elizabeth II appears petty, immature and disingenuous and those are not "qualities" we should seek from our countries' leaders.

I can only hope that Presidents Obama and Sarkozy, and Prime Minister Brown will learn from the experience and gain some insight into the intrinsic qualities and value of men and women who truly, truly love their freedoms and their countries.

Ask yourselves - How many schoolage children really know the history of the wars America has fought in? Do your children?

Why are we teaching children shame rather than pride in America??

How can we show our gratitude to those who believed in America and gave so much of themselves to preserve it??

Recognizing and remembering our veteran's sacrifices is always important. Teach your children and grandchildren the American history our schools fail to, take them to see the battlegrounds and the the museums and the monuments that mark those major events. Help them understand and remember. Show pride in America and they will too.

Visiting VA hospitals, donating to veteran's and military family causes, attending local veteran's events and being an empathetic ear to those who have served and/or are currently serving, are all positive ways we can say thank you.

The most important thank you we can give our fighting men and women- NEVER FORGET!!