On this day in 1944, a massive allied army invaded German-occupied France. Already on the retreat in the east, the defending German forces were thrown back in what was the beginning of the end for Nazi dreams of world domination. The anniversary of D-day is a reminder that freedom is worth fighting for.
Human history is littered with examples of wars that were not worth fighting. Depending on one’s point of view, it could be argued that World War I was not worth fighting – at least, not for America. Similarly, one could question the motives behind the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the wars in Iraq; both Desert Storm and the more recent invasion. None of these wars – it could be proposed – were fought for the direct purpose of preserving the freedom of the United States. World War II, however, was, without question, fought to preserve freedom. The same can be said about the current “war on terror”.
On June 6th, 1944, Operation Overlord – more commonly known as D-Day – was put into action at 6:30 am. Over 170,000 British, American and Canadian troops, supported by 13,000 aircraft, crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy, France. Some 18,000 paratroopers were already on the ground and German resistance was largely swept aside, with the exception of one beach. The sector known as Omaha Beach, where American troops landed, was fiercely defended and around 2,000 american soldiers lost their lives during the struggle to capture this sector. This writer’s father – now deceased – landed that day with the British 8th Army.
The British knew why they were there; Had Adolf Hitler prevailed in Continental Europe, the British Isles would have, inevitably, become his next target for invasion. The Americans and Canadians also knew why they were there. Germany had the capability to reach across the Atlantic and threaten the United States. Had the Nazis perfected an atomic bomb, they would surely have used it against America.
This D-day anniversary should remind us that freedom is always worth fighting for. Tyranny is never well-intentioned, whether it is the tyranny of collectivist ideologies, such as Communism, Nazism or even Progressivism, or whether it is the tyranny of religious zealots, such as the modern Islamist movement (which also has its roots in Marxist political theory).
Freedom means individuals, families and local communities being able to determine their own futures. The Founding Fathers understood this – which is why they gave us the Bill of Rights.
For a number of years, the United States and other western nations have struggled with the larger idea of whether it is justified to fight wars on foreign soil to defend the freedoms of other nations. Democracy, however, is not always the solution; many nations of the world consist of tribal Peoples who never naturally yearned for the right to vote; if their leaders governed with the best interests of the people at heart, then peace, prosperity and happiness was still possible. In such societies, the introduction of democracy has often lead to chaos and corruption. Should the United States, then, send its soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines to die, attempting to force a political system upon a nation that has never had it before?
Arabs are tribal – not democratic – by nature and by tradition. In addition, their Islamic faith is not compatible with democracy. The idea of a democratic Egypt, or a democratic Syria, is laughable. Not one single American should die in such a fruitless exercise.
The collectivist political ideologies of the Left; the various forms of Communism, the National Socialism of the Nazis and the grey, centralized, bureaucratic mediocrity for which the American Progressive movement strives are, likewise, incompatible with any form of democracy or republicanism (small “r” intended). The oppressive, military-ran police states of the extreme Right, such as those that have existed in South and Central America, are no better; although their classification as “Right-wing” is questionable, as the Right is, by definition, devoted to individual responsibility, individual freedom and minimal government intervention.
Nazi Germany represented a clear external threat to the continued existence of the United States as a free country. The Germans themselves, however, did not see the fearsome tyranny of the Nazis sneak up on them; they were swept away by lofty promises of prosperity and renewed national pride; they were disarmed by their own government, whilst being told it was in their best interests – then, suddenly, they were no longer free citizens; they were subjects of the almighty state. It is easier to see the approach of a massive, foreign army than it is to see the incremental chipping away at freedom by the leaders of one’s own nation. Whilst we commemorate today’s D-day anniversary, we should also remember that freedom is worth fighting for – regardless of where and against whom that fight takes place. Better that the fight is won within the political institutions and on the battlefield of ideas, before it becomes necessary to fight it on the beaches.
Written by Graham J Noble