Did We Waste It?

80 years ago today, 73,000 Americans joined another 83,000 British and Canadian troops in the largest amphibious invasion in world history. Nazi Germany had controlled the shores of Europe for four long years, but Operation Overlord was the beginning of the end of World War II. D-Day was June 6, 1944.

40 years ago, halfway between D-Day and today, President Ronald Reagan commemorated the anniversary at Point-du-Hoc on the shores of Normandy. He spoke of the heroism of the young men who pressed forward in the face of almost certain death, and the honor due to both those who survived and those who never came home.

What a difference 40 years makes. From 1944 to 1984, our country reached incredible peaks of civilizations achievement, while sowing the seeds for our current crises. In the years following World War II, America conquered the atom, built airplanes that could travel faster than sound, and landed on the moon. By 1984, most American families could afford personal computers, cars, washing machines, and television sets. The strife of the 60s and 70s had seemingly passed, and our nation seemed stronger than ever.

Once again, what a difference 40 years makes. Today our country is fractured, divided, more so than anytime since the Civil War. We stand on the verge of a third world war, led by bureaucrats and diplomats who are not fit to shine the shoes of our leaders of yesterday. The cheap goods that improved our quality of life after WWII now keep us distracted and addicted, while the manufacturing jobs that created the postwar economic boom have all been shipped overseas.

Job growth after the Covid lockdowns has entirely come from migration, as the American people are increasingly losing hope and either taking themselves out of the workforce or accepting underemployment.

This morning in Normandy, President Joe Biden could not finish a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of D-Day, seemingly trying to sit down and then being led away by the First Lady as the ceremony began:

The decrepit and senile occupant of the White House is a symptom of the decline of our country. He is propped up by what remains of the postwar managerial state as the only thing stopping its utter entropic collapse. In the name of stopping the so-called Fascism and Nazism always looming on the right, our leaders are going to imprison the leader of the opposition while also jailing peaceful protesters, anti-abortion advocates, and, just this morning, conservative pundit Steve Bannon.

The men who stepped off those boats 80 years ago today were fighting Nazism and totalitarianism, but would be appalled to see what has become of the country they fought and died for. Even the most progressive American GI would be denounced by college professors and media talking heads as a Nazi today, simply for believing that there are only two genders, that white people aren’t uniquely evil, and that America has been a force for good in the world.

This devolution of our society did not happen by accident. Unfettered migration after 1965 and a school system designed to make young Americans hate their own country have created entire generations that are completely disconnected from the nation and the freedoms our grandfathers fought to protect, much less the one our Founding Fathers created. Nate Hochman shared a survey on Twitter this morning in which 60% of Americans agreed that they feel like strangers in their own country.

Fox News interviewed a WWII veteran this week who said the same thing:

No society lasts forever, but it’s a shame that the last veterans of WWII lived long enough to see what became of the country they loved. As that generation passes, few will remember their sacrifice, and perhaps more importantly, why they did what they did.

But there are still some of us who remember, who refuse to forget. What are we going to do today to honor the memory of those who fought and died for this country? What can we do to restore the faith they had in the United States of America?

We must teach our children the stories and ideas of Western Civilization. Fill your house with the old books and raise your children to know the history of our country. We must involve ourselves in the political process so as not to let it be used to fundamentally change the nation we love. Most of all, we must never lose sight of the truth — the truth that men are men, women are women, and children are innocent; the truth that all human beings have dignity as image bearers of God, but crime must be punished, lest criminals terrorize the populace; and the truth that if you’re not teaching children your values, someone else will teach them theirs.

We can’t go back to the America of 1944 or 1984, but we still have it within ourselves to direct the future toward a place where our grandchildren can celebrate our faith, family, and freedom. That is what our grandfathers fought for, and that is what we must fight for today. Let’s not waste the time we have left.