Days of War Episode 1

I have never been to war.

But my husband has.

And so have a lot of other people. Do you still remember them? Every day? Do you think about them when you are eating dinner. Please pass the green beans, and oh am I glad that I'm not sweating it out in Iraq right now. I don't. I should. I try to. We bless the soldiers in our family prayers and we also bless their families 'cause I know they need it. Oh, do they need it.

Having just returned from my whirlwind World War II tour, I decided to post for the next few little whiles on my impressions of what I saw. I am not quite as ambitious as some who can do a post a day for a whole month. Hence, little whiles. I don't know how often I'll post or how many war posts I'll create but this here will be episode one. We'll see how it goes.

Normandy: Day One (June 4, 2009)

Pointe du Hoc, FranceYou look out over the rocky cliffs and wonder how it is possible. How could only 225 US soldiers have scaled those cliffs on rope ladders? And, how did they EVER defeat the Germans who were in concrete bunkers, reinforced with steel? Concertina wire, machine guns, higher ground. They had a lot going for them.

The wind blew and I could hear the whispers of the dead on that sacred ground. Poet Stephen Spender must have heard them, too. He wrote: "You are men who in your lives fought for life...and left the vivid air signed with your honor."

Yes, I do believe battlefields are a sacred ground. So many gave all in those holy places. Their souls linger, in the wind, in the waves, in the warmth of the sun, in the blowing grass. The artillery shells made these craters all over the beach and they have never been filled in. I was amazed, speechless, breathless. I wanted to be quiet and feel the moment. I wanted to cry, too. I did.Stewart looked out over the scene and explained the objective of the rangers who were trying to overtake this position. From Pointe du Hoc, you can look left and see the beach at Utah. If you look right, you see Omaha Beach. These are the two beaches where the Americans came ashore. Thus, it was of great importance to secure that lookout point. In Ronald Reagan's words in 1984:

The Rangers looked up and saw the enemy soldiers on the edge of the cliffs shooting down at them with machine guns and throwing grenades. And the American Rangers began to climb. They shot rope ladders over the face of these cliffs and began to pull themselves up. When one Ranger fell, another would take his place. When one rope was cut, a Ranger would grab another and begin his climb again. They climbed, shot back, and held their footing. Soon, one by one, the Rangers pulled themselves over the top, and in seizing the firm land at the top of these cliffs, they began to seize back the continent of Europe. Two hundred and twenty-five came here. After two days of fighting only ninety could still bear arms.

I remembered a part of Band of Brothers in which excerpts of one soldier's diary are included. He wrote, "Back in America, the race tracks were booming, the night clubs were making their greatest profits in history...few people seemed to care...and we wondered if the people would ever know what it cost the soldiers in terror, bloodshed, and hideous, agonizing deaths to win the war." It reminded me of today. Do we think about it enough? Do we remember the sacrifice?

I looked at my Stewart and felt pride swell in my heart. My strong, brave husband heard the call to serve and answered that call. Few people will ever know what the cost of war is because most of us do not ever have to live through it. After an evening at sunset in Pointe du Hoc, I shed a few tears for the boys who died for that position and for their sweethearts at home; for the empty places at the dinner tables in American homes and for the comrades in arms who lost a brother that day. I shed tears for the young German boys who, although fighting for something I do not believe in, were also someone's son, someone's lover, someone's brother.

I have heard it said that kids today do not have heroes. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why. I can think of some. The monument that stands at Pointe du Hoc lists their names. Reagan said, "These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war."

I have never been to war. I did spend a few days memorializing those who have and I am so grateful that I did.