GunBlast.com Remembers D-Day

June 6, 2002 is the 58th anniversary of one of the greatest moments in world history.

June 6, 1944 began "Operation Overlord", otherwise known as "D-Day", the beginning of the Allied invasion of Normandy. The D-Day invasion was the turning point in the fight against Hitler's Germany in World War II, and this beginning of the final Allied victory was hard-fought and paid for by the blood of countless heroes.

GunBlast.com salutes those heroes who made it possible for us all to live free and rest secure in the comforts of our freedom. To those veterans of Normandy, and to all the veterans who have helped maintain the securities of liberty in all wars, Thank You. We who have lived our entire lives in the peace secured by your efforts and your blood, we who sleep soundly under the blanket of freedom which your blood provided, we who do not know the true meaning of the word "sacrifice", stand unworthy of the blessings of liberty. These blessings include not only our 2nd Amendment rights, but all our civil rights guaranteed under our Constitution, those very blessings which you bought for us at such a dear price.

God bless you all, God bless America, and God bless all freedom-loving countries worldwide. God quicken the hearts and hands of those who still struggle against tyranny, in all its forms and locations, to secure the blessings of liberty for themselves and their posterity.

Last week I was speaking philosophically about the historical importance of Normandy to a friend of the family, a young lady who just graduated from High School. She looked at me and said, "What's Normandy?" I managed to stammer, "You know, D-Day", to which she replied "What's that?". Another victim of our woefully-inadequate public schools, she was never taught about one of the most important events in the history of the world, an event that began to turn the tide of World War II and changed the course of history. While she listened in rapt fascination, I taught her at length about Overlord and the events leading to it. I told her about the beaches awash with the blood of Heroes, the incredible carnage, the indomitable courage, and the ultimate stakes involved. I told her some of the stories of valor, read with her some of the Medal citations, and explained what it all means to us today. She was moved to tears by it all, and I was glad to see that the heroic events of the past can still reach the kids of today. I asked her what they taught her in history class, and she paused and said, "Lincoln freed the slaves". Thank God I have no children in today's public schools!

Today we again have soldiers in harm's way, fighting the War Against Terror in Afghanistan and in other places. It is vitally important that we remember to honor the sacrifices made for us by those great Americans of the past, so that the great Americans of the present can be honored as well. Without the past, we cannot understand the present, and we can have no future.

Boge Quinn

Click the following link to read a speech given by perhaps our greatest President, Ronald Reagan, at Omaha Beach in Normandy on the 40th anniversary of D-Day:

Speech by President Reagan - Omaha Beach June 6, 1984

Click the following link to read an editorial by Mark Burson of the Ronald Reagan Library Foundation (used by permission):

Ronald Reagan Helped Us Remember - And Never Forget - The Soldiers Of D-Day

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