June 6th

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, in his speech at Omaha Beach in Normandy, said that we have a "covenant with the dead of D-Day;" a covenant to see that freedom and tyranny will not prevail, and that today's Armed Forces are carrying forth the work to see that covenant fulfilled. I found that thought to be particularly poignant.

Many see World War II as a "good war." It's true that the enemy was easily defined and that progress (or the lack of it) was easily measured. Many saw the war, as President Obama said in his speech, as a competition between "visions of humanity;" with the Nazi view as one of subjugation, tyranny, and hatred of those who were different and the Allies' belief that people should live in freedom and liberty, free to chose their own destiny. D-Day veterans, who are passing on at a ever-growing rate, were able to face a storm of death to start the liberation of Europe from the those who espoused the view of totalitarianism. These men, this "band of brothers," are true heroes. We must never forget the bravery and sacrifice of these men and women. We must never forget to remember the significance of June 6th and D-Day.

So too, we must never forget that our men and women serving in the Armed Forces still fight those who's differing view of humanity would deprive men and women of their freedom and liberty; who's differing view of humanity would force men and women to live and worship a certain way; and who's differing view of humanity espouses hatred to those who do not think as they do. While the war we fight in these days doesn't necessarily have an easily defined enemy or easily measured results, the fight is just as important and just as real as the war that was fought so many years ago. The men and women of our Armed Forces are still fighting in order to fulfill that covenant which those who fought on D-Day, 65 years ago, bled and died for: to end tyranny and see that freedom prevails for everyone.