Day 22,179

Evie Day 448

Good morning, and a happy 80th anniversary of D-Day to you all. Today is Thursday, 6 June 2024.

80 years. Amazing.

In Normandy, France, President Biden is about to speak at the 80th anniversary gathering in remembrance. The WWII veterans that are they were teenagers when they landed on those 5 beaches, and now the youngest among them is likely 97 or 98 years old.

The greatest generation. They defeated the fascist regimes of the Axis powers. They put their lives on the line for everybody else. I’ve heard tales of these heroes being demeaned as “suckers and losers” who didn’t ask, “What’s in it for me?”. All that talk does is remind me that some folks just don’t get it and probably just need to go to a corner, sit down, and shut up.

I guess it reflects on the idea of “duty”. There are some things we do for others, and sometimes those things require sacrifice. I have some soldiers in my family history, men who fought during the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Civil War. I remember my grandfather on my dad’s side telling me of his challenges enlisting to fight in WWI while being deaf in one ear… they wouldn’t take him the first time, but they took him in the fall of 1918 just as the war drew to an end. He was on his way to basic training when the Armistice was signed. My great-uncle fought in Korea, my uncle Dave served in the Navy between Korea and Vietnam, and several other uncles volunteered during Vietnam. Both of my brothers stepped up, and I tried myself, but in 1985 I couldn’t pass the physical because of a knee operation and a history of cancer.

I am thankful for my friends who stepped up. Friends, roommates, classmates… so many that recognized a need to serve.

Words really can’t convey what I am feeling right now. The folks we recognize today changed the world for the better.

We should all be grateful.

I hope the world is treating you better than you deserve.

Peace y’all.