Scenes From Normandy
The beach is calm now. The only sounds are from the wind, the soft breaking of small waves, and the small talk from the remaining tourists. 80 years ago, no calm could be found. The thunderous boom of artillery pierced the morning air, and battle cries of men charging the Nazis were only slightly muffled by the beach sand. Machine gun fire pierced the air and flesh. Screams of the wounded filled the air. The sounds of war assaulted the ears of all who were on Normandy Beach. D-Day, we call it. Operation Overlord was the codename.
On this day, June 6th, 160,000 Allied troops began their assault against the Axis forces. The battle was nothing short of ghastly. Of the first wave of soldiers storming Omaha beach in the amphibious assault, the fatality rate was 90%. In preparation D-Day for Allied generals made a difficult call. The first wave of soldiers contained the most inexperienced and youngest in the force. Why? Allied command knew that the more experienced fighters would be needed for the full battle to come later. Many in the first wave were still in their teens. When the doors of the landing crafts opened, the Nazis opened fire. Surviving the first Nazi volleys was a miracle.
On the Beach
There was blood in the water. There were scattered bodies and limbs on the beach. Despite the gruesome sights at their feet, the soldiers charged toward the enemy. When their grappling equipment failed to provide the means to reach their target, they used their bayonets and hands to scale the 100-foot cliffs. Bullets whizzing by them, they were undaunted by the face of death. They climbed the cliffs. They saved the world.
Ronald Reagan’s 40th Anniversary Speech
Why Was It Necessary
On D-Day, 4400 soldiers died. The full battle for Normandy claimed the lives of 73,000 Allied forces. It is fitting and right to remember them, their sacrifice, and the cause for which they gave their lives.
To understand the cause, it is necessary to understand German history. After the Allies defeated Germany in WWI, they crafted a peace treaty with Germany, the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty did not simply aim to right the wrongs of the war, the treaty humiliated Germany. The result was hyperinflation and economic collapse. In its destitution, Germany longed for a strong leader. A strongman emerged. Adolf Hitler was able to assume power with the promise to return Germany’s dignity and prosperity. He also had some people he wanted to blame: the Jews. Antisemitism has a long history in the world and in Germany, and Hitler was able to seize on the existing hatred and put it to work for him. He blamed Jews for all of Germany’s woes, inflaming existing antisemitism into a national fury against the Jews. His philosophy, Nazism, was antisemitic to the core. It was a murderous ideology with a genocidal aim.
The men who stormed the beaches, the brave who scaled the cliffs, the soldiers who stared down machine gun fire, were at war with one of the evilest ideologies that has ever been created in the history of humanity.
The Ideology Still Exists
It still exists. Nazism has no nation-state at the moment. It does, however, feed in the shadows of nations. Mostly in small groups, mostly online, the proponents of this ideology work to metastasize into healthy societies pulling them into their murderous mindset.
If that were the extent of antisemitism, the world could treat it as a dangerous fringe. Cut it off. Monitor it. Infiltrate it. Do not give it oxygen. Mock it. It will die. To the great horror of the world, antisemitism is not limited to basement-dwelling Neanderthals living off of their grandmothers’ naive kindness.
It thrives among the usual suspects, Middle Eastern zealots who have a blood lust for the death of Jews. Iran and others cheered as Hamas committed the largest pogrom against the Jews since Kristallnacht. Not only were the 10/7 attacks against Israel purposely targeted against civilians, Hamas wanted to use rape and torture as a means of intimidation and revenge. The horrors of 10/7 were not simply the actions of a few bad actors who lost themselves in violence. No. It was the plan. In full sight of the world and recorded for posterity they killed and raped their way through Israel until the Israeli forces were able to stop the onslaught. In this sense, they were worse than the Nazis. The Nazis had enough shame to hide their atrocities in camps.
Unexpected Hatred
One could expect antisemitism from Hamas and its allies. What is surprising is the cheerleading and antisemitism on college campuses in the West. Since 10/7 antisemites have harassed Jewish students, some professors have said their Jewish students are worthy of death, and some of their classmates have chanted for their extermination. Rabbis have had to tell Jewish students their universities are not safe spaces for Jews. Threats to synagogues have been profound enough that authorities have discouraged Jews from attending their services. These scenes sound like they came from Germany in 1936. No, these are from the United States in 2024.
What is also shocking is the connection between the antisemitic groups. Several LGBTQ+ groups are deeply involved in the antisemitic protests. It is interesting to note that Hamas would gleefully kill every LGBTQ+ person they encounter. So, why would these groups support Hamas? The answer is ideology. In their thinking, they have changed from the language of “haves and have-nots” to “oppressor and oppressed.” This language emerges from Marxism, of course.
The oppressor is the one with the power and must be resisted in any way. Whatever means one uses to throw off the oppressor is appropriate, no matter how barbaric. Under this guise, groups as disparate as BLM and LGBTQ+ organizations have not only supported Hamas but celebrated 10/7.
See the World As It Is
On D-Day Allied forces began liberating Europe from the evil clutches of the Nazis and the cost was terrible. We have been very fortunate, blessed, that Europe has been largely peaceful since the end of WWII. It would be foolish, however, to miss the reemergence of antisemitism. It is naive to believe the demons of the past sleep. They do not; they are active, and now they have hosts. As long as antisemitism can find friends, Jews cannot feel safe, and the world is in danger.
If you want to honor the men who gave their lives on D-Day, it takes more than watching Saving Private Ryan or Band of Brothers. Honor them by taking up their cause. Oppose resurgent Nazism in all its forms. Oppose antisemitism when it occurs. Denounce atrocities against the Jews when they occur.
The enemies of civilization, of God, of the good, are still present. Oppose them. If not, a new generation of men might have to scale a cliff on another blood soaked beach.
Hamas’ Evil Atrocity Against Israel: A Time to Speak
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