64 years ago today, Allied forces invaded the coast of France and began the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. D-Day exemplified two kinds of courage. One is the kind of courage portrayed in the opening sequence of Saving Private Ryan. The other is the type of courage General Dwight D. Eisenhower displayed when he drafted this memorandum prior to the invasion:
Our landings have failed and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.
It was Ike’s intention that if the worst happened and Operation Overlord became the greatest military disaster in human history, he would shoulder the responsibility and America and the British Commonwealth could still rally behind Roosevelt and Churchill.
Today’s troops have lived up to the extraordinary example their World War II predecessors set.
Lamentably, we can’t say the same about today’s generals and political leaders.
