We learn about it in school – June 6, 1944. “D-Day,” Omaha Beach, the loss of 2,000 American forces and 4,000 Allied forces in total, the brilliance of the plan and the way it was executed. It was the beginning of the end of the German occupation of France. By the end of August German troops had been driven out of Paris and the following May Nazi Germany surrendered.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Normandy and the adjacent town of Arromanches. I have heard other people who have been there talk about the impact, the emotion they felt during their visit but I am not sure it fully prepared me.
Terrie and I were visiting Paris with close friends and decided it would be a good opportunity to make the journey to Normandy. Should you decide to do the same, be prepared because it is a 3 1/2 to 4 hour drive from Paris. You can do it one day but as you can imagine it is a long day. We left around 7:30 in the morning so getting through morning traffic in Paris is part of the challenge. When we finally arrived in the area we went straight to Arromanches. This was the site of one of two artificial harbors set up by the Allied forces after they liberated Normandy and Arromanches. The harbor was used to allow the landing of 400,000 soldiers, 4 million tons of equipment and untold numbers of vehicles, food and just about everything else needed for the war effort. It was a herculean effort and played a telling role in the liberation of France. After touring the museum dedicated to the landing at Arromanches we spent some time looking out at the bay where the harbor was built. There are still sections of it visible out in the water. If you have an opportunity, check out the history of the Arromanches harbor. It is another piece of history that we should not lose.
After a quick lunch we drove to Omaha Beach. Today, it looks like any other sand beach. It is adjacent to Utah Beach, another important piece in the Allied landings on D-Day. Once they reached the beach, providing they survived the first sections of the German defense, Allied troops were forced to climb a section of cliffs to confront German forces. It was a daunting challenge to say the least. Imagine trying to scale those cliffs while enemy soldiers fired down at you from above. It further proves the resolve of our troops, along with our allies, to liberate our friends, the French, from the grip of the Nazis.
The real wakeup call of the “Normandy” experience comes with a visit to the American cemetery. It is a short drive from Omaha Beach. The cemetery grounds are immaculate, as they should be, and the setting is beautiful. You enter through a museum and visitor center. Reaching the actual cemetery involves a short walk from the visitor center. The first view is breathtaking. Lying out in front of you are the graves of 9,389 of our military dead. Most of them were killed during the invasion and fighting that followed. In addition, there is the “Wall of the Missing,” inscribed with the names of 1557 servicemen who were never found. It is interesting that with this area, being largely agricultural, farmers still dig up bones from time to time and with modern technology they have actually been able to identify a few of the missing.
We were lucky with the timing of our visit to the cemetery. I had always heard one of the most emotional experiences was to be there when the flag of the United States is lowered for the evening. We watched as it slowly moved down the pole while Taps was played in the background. Standing with our hands over our hearts, all of us went through a series of emotions. I found myself praying to God with gratitude for what had taken place there and the sacrifices that were made so I can still call myself free and have the freedom to worship the one true, living God.
Normandy is not an experience to take lightly. It is a sobering reminder of the sacrifices other generations have made on our behalf. It is not a cliche to say the world would be significantly different without the resolve and heroism of our troops, not only in World War II but also in World War I. I try to put myself in the shoes of those young men, charging the beach on D-Day. Facing a hail storm of bullets, knowing the second the ramp on the amphibious vehicle they were in was dropped, they were sitting ducks.
I always marvel at the way God talks to me. Unlike some, I don’t always hear his voice. In fact, that has only happened a couple of times in my life. Rather, He does things to let me know He is there and is watching and listening. I was really struggling with where to take this post. I found my emotions resulting from the Normandy visit swinging from sadness – sadness for those who lost loved ones, sadness for those who lost their lives, to anger. Anger about those who forget or ignore the sacrifices made on their behalf. Sacrifices that insure their freedom. Sacrifices that removed the threat of tyranny and oppression from regimes that detested the idea of individual freedom with the ultimate goal of suppressing the right of self-expression, self-direction, self-improvement and self-control. People who subscribe to the idea of the need to suppress individual freedoms are still alive and among us today. All you need to do is look at what is going on in states like Colorado and California. Parents have lost the inalienable right to parent their children as they see fit. The truth that God created two and only two genders has been trampled by an ideology that leaves Satan smiling ear to ear. Democratic Socialists are poised to take away more and more of our freedom, especially our freedom to worship as Christians. And since most of our current politicians have never run a business or had to actually be responsible for making payroll, let alone made a positive contribution to our society, they act strictly from their own frame of reference which is almost always narcissistic.
I hope, like me, you are tired of standing on the sidelines while our freedoms are challenged by self-righteous, lost souls who only believe in themselves. They are convinced they need to take away the joy that we have because through their own stubborn, misdirected ideals they have been unable to find or experience that joy. Their failure is due to a lack of hope fueled by their fear of giving up their “freedom” to exert control over the rest of us. It is fueled by delusions that they and only they know what is right for the rest of us. However, we must admit, they have been energized and emboldened by our own laziness and unwillingness to interrupt our lives long enough to stand up for what we believe in and know is right.
It is time we rise up and declare we won’t compromise our faith in God. Our church has started a new series entitled “Be Free.” In Galatians 5:1 the Bible says, “For freedom Christ has set us FREE. Stand firm therefore and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” Those soldiers who died on the beaches of Normandy and elsewhere during both World War I and World War II died so we might have that freedom Christ has called us to. It is important to note that at the small museum at the American Cemetery there was an example of the equipment an Allied soldier had, including his clothing. Inside the jacket were several different items but the one that jumped out at me the most was a copy of the New Testament, attached to a pocket inside the left breast panel of the coat. Can you imagine the uproar if the military tried to do that today?
Freedom. It’s what those soldiers in two world wars fought for . Freedom, it is something never to be taken for granted. Freedom, it is what we need to return to defending on the beaches of our own cities, states and country. We must regain our freedom from those who are afraid of freedom. Freedom is what our faith in Christ gives us.
Doug's Journey 