Monday, June 06, 2005

D-Day plus 61

Today is the 61st anniversary of the Normandy invasion. There wasn't much mention of it in the Star Tribune. Just as well it didn't, since the editors there would doubtless have chosen to run an attack on the President, just like they did on Memorial Day. Heaven only knows what they have in mind for Independence Day. I digress, however.

What I really wanted to say... . I don't know, exactly. I am in awe of the people who stormed the beaches that day in 1944. I do not know if I would have had the courage to advance out of the landing craft in the face of shells and bullets fired by people doing their level best to kill me, even though the cause be just. I will never know, and since the cost of knowing may be war on the scale of World War Two I am grateful for it.

But, that leaves a question. A question of service. Nothing I am likely to be able to do will be the equal of the service given by those men and their brothers in arms over 60 years ago. Not many folks get to win the Cold War, for example. I don't think that simply meeting my civic responsibility to vote is sufficient, but I'm not sure what a clumsy, awkward guy with a knack for alienating people can do that won't make things worse instead of better. But there must be something.

No comments: