This speech was given to the 3rd Army on the Eve of D-Day. Most of us could not imagine what was about to take place then or now, but those who led, followed, fought and died all experienced it. War is hell, and I am in no way glorifying it here….
My Grandfather shared with me with me many of the horrifying, humorous, and real-life experiences he had on Omaha beach, France and in Germany.
This was an action taken in the name of liberty, in the name of justice. The people involved on every side of that conflict had different reasons to be where they were, some were there for personal gain and glory, but most were there because they had no choice. The difference in meaning is that then “no choice” included patriotism. The so-called “Patriot Act” is FORCED Patriotism and thus a misnomer… in those days it was national pride and a belief in the desperate need to preserve a way of life, a need that is so primal that people have fought over it for 1,000,000 years, or more. No, the actions taken on D-Day, on both sides are far more complex, but, to the individual soldier, they were simply fighting for their own life, for the lives of their buddies, and their loved ones back home, except those in France who were fighting together for the loved ones around them…
God Bless the all brave soldiers of D-Day, on both sides, on both sides, who faced down the purest sheer hell on earth. God bless “The Greatest Generation.” And I make no apologies here: God Bless the U.S.A., for all its faults, it has given more good than bad.
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