By George Friedman, June 4, 2013 |
I have always dreamed of standing on Omaha Beach on a rainy and cold morning at low tide, standing by the edge of the water and looking inward. Until recently, I never had. No matter how many times I had visited France before, I always needed to be somewhere else, or was too busy to really imagine. I could never devote my mind to the water and the beach and the memories that, for me, were history but for those who took part in the D-Day landing were the pivot of their lives. Imagining a battle long gone is an act of will and imperfect in the best of circumstances, in spite of the fact that I have read voraciously on this battle. It is an act of will to force yourself to believe, to know, that something extraordinary happened here. …..The invasion took place at dawn on June 6, 1944. ….it was still cold, wet and terrifying. ….men who landed would have go across a vast, flat expanse of sand to a sea wall that is no longer there…..A man placed his soul in the hands of his God and moved forward…... There could be no such illusion at Omaha Beach. Some lived, some died, and virtue had little to do with it…. This is a key puzzle that historians will not be able to answer -- why they fought as they died. Why they redeemed Europe from itself……To Read More….
I have always dreamed of standing on Omaha Beach on a rainy and cold morning at low tide, standing by the edge of the water and looking inward. Until recently, I never had. No matter how many times I had visited France before, I always needed to be somewhere else, or was too busy to really imagine. I could never devote my mind to the water and the beach and the memories that, for me, were history but for those who took part in the D-Day landing were the pivot of their lives. Imagining a battle long gone is an act of will and imperfect in the best of circumstances, in spite of the fact that I have read voraciously on this battle. It is an act of will to force yourself to believe, to know, that something extraordinary happened here. …..The invasion took place at dawn on June 6, 1944. ….it was still cold, wet and terrifying. ….men who landed would have go across a vast, flat expanse of sand to a sea wall that is no longer there…..A man placed his soul in the hands of his God and moved forward…... There could be no such illusion at Omaha Beach. Some lived, some died, and virtue had little to do with it…. This is a key puzzle that historians will not be able to answer -- why they fought as they died. Why they redeemed Europe from itself……To Read More….
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