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D-Day anniversary is
appropriate time to reflect,
appreciate our blessings of freedom
By Rep. Dan Kristiansen
On Memorial Day,
my family and I joined with others to honor those who
paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live in freedom. Imagine what the maps of the world would look like today had it
not been for the strength, the courage and the willingness of our
soldiers to give their all.
A pivotal point in our
nation's history came during the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.
Known as D-Day, it was the largest-single amphibious invasion ever
conducted. This Saturday is the 65th anniversary of that battle.
Like many other Americans,
several of my family members fought on those beaches that day. To those
who lived through it, history books can never adequately describe the
real events of that day. To those of us born later, we can only imagine
what it was like.
The battle on the coast of France involved more than 155,000 Allied
troops. They faced enormous odds. The tops of the vertical rock cliffs
jutting up from the sands of the beaches were covered with heavily-armed
German troops. Barbed wire ran parallel between the foot of the cliffs
and the Atlantic Ocean.
Photographer Robert Capa described it by saying, "We lay flat on the
small strip of wet sand between the sea and the barbed wire. The slant
of the beach gave us some protection from the machine gun and rifle
bullets. But the tide pushed us against the barbed wire, where the guns
were enjoying open season."
It was only through sheer determination and courage that
Operation Overlord, as it was called, forced the German
armies to retreat, returning freedom to France.
It was the beginning of
the end of World War II, but it came at a tremendous price. More than
4,000 American, Briton and Canadian soldiers gave their lives on D-Day
to preserve freedom.
General Eisenhower knew
the stakes were high when he said, "We cannot afford to fail."
Hitler was preparing to invade England and was creating a nuclear bomb.
Had we not been successful at Normandy, we might now be living in a very
different world.
Near my office at the
state Capitol, the
Winged Victory Monument stands to honor our soldiers. An inscription on the monument reads, "They fought to safeguard and transmit to posterity the
principles of justice, freedom and democracy."
I am proud to live in a
free nation where we have a voice in our government. One way to honor
our soldiers is to become involved in our government of the people. That
includes exercising the right to vote and communicating our concerns and
ideas to our elected leaders.
On this D-Day anniversary, let us reflect
upon our blessings of
freedom and pay tribute to those who have served our country -- both in
the past and present. As President Reagan said 25 years ago at Normandy,
"Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for.
Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their valor, and borne by
their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they
lived and died."
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EDITOR'S NOTE:
State Rep. Dan Kristiansen, R-Snohomish,
represents the 39th Legislative District, and also serves as chairman of
the Washington House Republican Caucus. He can be contacted at (360)
786-7967 or from his Web site at:
www.houserepublicans.wa.gov/Kristiansen.
For more information, contact:
John
Sattgast, Senior Information Officer: (360) 786-7257
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