How to Honor the Heroes of D-Day

Eighty years ago today, American, British and Canadian forces invaded the Normandy coast of France to begin the liberation of Europe from the Nazi reign of terror.  It was the largest military invasion in history and while German losses were more horrific, American casualties were severe:  29,000 killed and 106,000 wounded and missing.  Today Joe Biden is in France to honor those who lost their lives or were wounded along with a few dozen still surviving American veterans who average 100+ years of age. My father pictured below, landed the following day, June 7, 1944, two days before his 22nd birthday as a young lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers and was involved in building roads and floating bridges to replace the infrastructure destroyed by the Germans and the massive Allied assault.  He saw first hand the death and carnage from the prior day and on occasion would talk about his WWII experiences.  With America polarized and deeply divided politically, one would think that nonetheless remembering the sacrifice made by thousands of young men, many of whom were still teenagers, would be a unifying theme and that anyone who disparaged their bravery and sacrifice would be in political exile.  Yet, the likely Republican Party nominee while in office refused to visit the American cemetery in France near Paris in 2018 as it would ruin his hair, and did not understand the value of honoring the US war dead.  Indeed, Donald Trump was confirmed to have said “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.”  In a statement to CNN, John Kelly, Trump's chief of staff,  confirmed several details of the story on the record and said the former president was unable to understand why the American public held respect for former prisoners of war and those shot down in combat. Any American who claims to be a patriot should find such remarks as disqualifying, particularly as Trump seeks to destroy NATO, perhaps America's most important alliance.  A piece in The Independent looks at the contrast between Trump and Biden:

President Joe Biden arrived in France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, where he will likely try to remind European allies of his role as a world leader, while distancing himself from his “America First” predecessor, ahead of the November election.

Biden touched down on Wednesday in Paris to pay respect to World War II veterans. But the trip serves as a crucial opportunity for the president, as he stands to gain the support of allies in Europe ahead of the upcoming presidential election – and give them a chance to contrast his leadership with that of former president Donald Trump, who could soon be re-elected.

Perhaps in a preview of what’s to come, in a fundraiser on Monday, the president reminded donors of Trump’s comments that he made in France in 2018, when he canceled a trip to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and infamously referred to soldiers buried there as “losers” and “suckers.”

“‘Losers and suckers!’ Who in the hell does he think he is?” Biden said. “This guy does not deserve to be president, whether or not I’m running.”

On Tuesday, when asked whether Biden would visit the cemetery, John Kirby, the White House national security communications adviser, confirmed he would be visiting the cemetery. Kirby added: “Our commitment to honor that sacrifice should never waver. And our obligations to those they leave behind, even though it may be generations ago, can never be lessened.”

To further this contrast to his predecessor, according to the White House, Biden is expected to deliver a speech later this week focusing on democracy and freedom, both of which, he said during his State of the Union address in March, were “under attack” both at home and overseas.

As president, Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, threatened to “quit” Nato, and touted an “America First” agenda, leaving a wake of frayed relationships the world over. . . . Biden “has made revitalizing our relationships a key priority, recognizing of course that we are stronger when we act together and that today’s challenges require global solutions and global responses”, Kirby said.

Sadly, Trump supporters who feign being patriots are instead motivated by hatred and prejudice against others - something Trump has fanned - and would have America embrace isolationism akin to America's disastrous approach prior to both WWI and WWII.   If one truly honors America's war dead and veterans, voting for Trump should be anathema.

My 22 year old father.