75th Anniversary of D-Day

~ Originally published June 5, 2019.

Early in 1941, a full 9 months before Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, forcing the U.S. to formally enter World War II, a small group of comic book writers & artists did what their government & most of their fellow citizens were not yet ready to do. They declared their own war. They created a fictional character who epitomized the best parts of American idealism & had him lead the charge against the evil of fascism. And if that wasn't enough, on the very first cover, they showed us Captain America punching Hitler right in the face. Is this too literal to be a parable?

I don't know but, man, they were telling truth to anyone with ears to hear & eyes to see.

It wasn't long before those artists would put up so they'd never have to shut up. Much like the fictional Steve Rogers, they volunteered to go join the fight. And even though they saw their share of hell, people like Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, Stan Lee, et al, learned their lessons from history well & they would continue to carry that same idealism with them throughout the rest of their lives.

On this night in 1944 over 350,000 men were preparing for the D-Day invasion. Americans, Australians, Brits, Canadians, French, Norwegians & Poles came together for a single purpose. It is chilling to think back & imagine all those boys, contemplating what might happen the next day.

The anxiety & dread had to be palpable, if not overwhelming.

No serum-induced superpowers. No Vibranium shields. Just what needed to be done.

The first day would be a disaster but ultimately the course of history changed, for the better.

This day is sacred. So, it is appalling that our country is now represented by a rank amateur.

He stands beside Queen Elizabeth II, a woman of privilege who did not let that stop her from doing the right thing. King George VI was slow of speech but he was also clear-eyed. Most of the aristocracy was content to keep on doing the Charleston while Hitler steamrolled over their neighbors, but not the King. He encouraged his people with "Keep Calm & Carry On", "Freedom Is In Peril - Defend It With All Your Might", etc.. He kept hope alive. His daughter learned to drive a jeep & be a grease-monkey. By contrast, Fred Trump was a racist, war-profiteering, slumlord.

Donald Trump is an unmitigated, self-centered jack-ass. He has no concept, no appreciation of service or sacrifice. He does not even understand the difference between good & evil.

Those boys who willingly went to war, the ones whose corpses littered the French countryside & the ones who were lucky enough to come back... dear God, do they deserve so much better.

We should all be ashamed of ourselves for letting this happen. 'Nuff said!

PS ~ I am not trying to glorify war here, something that should never be done. Even in the very few cases where the cause is just, war is still always evil. Nationalism is evil too. So is the military-industrial complex.  As a Christian, my first & most important loyalty is to Jesus. Because I believe in Jesus, I am a devoted pacifist. But when we are faced with existential crises, like the Nazis, what should we do? Nazis only have one purpose: to murder anyone who isn't a Nazi. While I cannot tell anyone else what God would call them to do, I can safely say that my faith demands that I would never stand by & allow innocent people to suffer, especially at the hands of sheer hatred. I could be wrong but in my opinion, "turning the other cheek" only applies when it's my own face being hit. If it's my brother or sister being hit, than God help me if I don't stand between them & the oppressor. That's why I have nothing but respect for all of the Allied service men & women of World War II, & especially for those who risked everything on D-day.