“In
my yellow-trimmed bassinet, tucked into the corner of the dining room, I was
oblivious to the swirl of history-making world events reported each day on the
radio. D-Day was still four months away.
Many men in our small town were soldiers in the Pacific, and an uncle was missing
in action somewhere in Europe. Since Dad worked for an industry vital to the
war effort, he stayed on the home front.
I never would have been born if my father had been called into military service.
My sisters remember ration coupons, victory gardens, and life-altering
telegrams from the War Department, as well as dancing in the streets on VE and
VJ Day. As for me, I cried, nursed, and slept through it all.” (Excerpt from my memoir Born Three Times) 
June
6, 1944 has been commemorated for over 74 years as the day of the invasion of
France and the beginning of the liberation of Europe from Hitler and his murderous
regime. Commonly called D-Day, the Allied invasion force stormed fifty miles of
the Normandy coast on five different beaches.
The logistics and tremendous sacrifice involved in such a massive
operation became apparent to us during our recent visit to the historical site.
Emotions were close to the surface as we
looked out over Omaha Beach. The site of the U.S. landing and the white crosses
and stars of David that climbed the grassy hill commemorated over 9,400
soldiers and pilots buried there. 
Viking
Cruise arranged a special ceremony for us at the site. As the Stars & Stripes flew in a bright
blue sky, we all sang the Star Spangled Banner, followed by a recorded version
of taps, and a moment of silence. Then the veterans in the group, including
Charles, were recognized. Each of us was given a flower to place on a grave.
Charles & I chose to place our flowers on the graves of the fallen from the
states where we were born—New York and Tennessee. We prayed for those whose lives were cut
short so that we can be free from tyranny today.
A
breath-taking sculpture stood overlooking the cemetery in honor of those who
paid it all. The statue is a representation of a soldier rising from the water
with his hand toward heaven. It is a
visual reminder of the brevity of life.
As
we traveled along the beaches, we saw the location of an artificial port build
by the Allies. Remnants of the amazing feat of engineering are still visible in
the water. In order to supply the thousands of troops, since the Germans
controlled all the ports, caissons and piers were floated across the English
Channel in order to construct an artificial port at Arromanches, France. Once
constructed, tons of material could be loaded onto the beach and trucked inland
to supply the fighters. Those who
operated the supply lines are the unsung heroes of the invasion force.
Our
last stop on Normandy was to the water’s edge at Omaha Beach. It was like walking on holy ground as we
walked on the sand and looked up at the remaining German bunkers that dotted
the hillside. We left that place
thankful and blessed to have lived in a free country bought with the blood of
others.
I
was reminded of John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down
one's life for one's friends.”
