“These have dared bare the torches of sacrifice and service.

Their bodies return to dust but their work liveth evermore.

Let us strive to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among

Ourselves and with all nations.”

 

Seventy-five years ago, courage was defined on a chalk-white beachhead off the coast of France. Today, we pay tribute to the fallen, give thanks to the survivors, and remember the unimaginable that they faced THAT MORNING, seventy-five years ago.

They were called, by a higher calling. Yes, a command was given by a man, but that order was put forth by the supreme counsel that sits in judgment of us all. And those who would rise to the occasion when that order was passed down, were rewarded with the HONOR and GLORY that comes with such an act of sacrifice.

Today, we are the inheritors of their bounty.

Our WORLD remains FREE, because their CONTINENT REMAINS FREE. And we remember their BRAVERY and what they faced that morning, not to be boastful or to intimidate. We honor and remember that morning so it may never happen again… it must NEVER happen again.

 

A CLASH of technology and warfare made the FIRST WORLD WAR a testament to the fragility of the human form; as well as a showcase for the depravity and ingenuity of the human mind, to conceive so many ways to do harm.

FORGETTING THE PAST, as horrifying as it was, seemed the best way to avoid it happening again. Apathy. Lethargy, protectionism and isolationism. BLIND IGNORANCE in the face of apparent hostility…

The monument shows us HOW they failed.

The echoes of our ancestors tell us how we should proceed. THEIR failures are now OUR TREASURE. Their ignorance need not be OURS to bear… we have seen that show before, and we KNOW HOW IT ENDS:

Today, we CELEBRATE a HARD FOUGHT PEACE. May it STAND for seventy-five MORE!

 

JC