OOD 6 JUNE 1944 - lest we forget
 

Also do not forget the enemy.

The men who fought against the allies where, for the most part, conscripts sent to their deaths. They fought as we did fo simple conepts like family, country and personal honour. Western media likes to portray all Germans of WW2 as totenkopf-wearing, evil nazis but that wasn't the case.

I always find it inprtant to remember all sides in any given conflict.

In an interesting side note to history, Eisenhower also drafted a letter in case of failure during D-Day invasion.

http://doinghistoryproject.tripod.com/id17.html

IMHO, that shows the moral courage the man had. He takes FULL responsibility for the failure.

My $0.02

Mike

Absolutely. When the war is over and we're sitting in our lounge rooms reflecting on what has now passed, it is right and proper for a thinking person to contemplate the shared humanity of our former foes.

Equally, it makes a lot of sense to demonise your enemy during times of conflict. It would be much harder to shoot your enemy in the face if, at the forefront of your thoughts, you realise he's a man much like you.

Growing up D-Day was always a day that meant a lot to our family as three members of my grandfather's family were involved in it, one brother being on a destroyer bombarding the beaches, one who was a combat engineer who landed on Omaha and another who was overhead as a gunner in a bomber - and none of whom knew the others were there until after the war when they all saw each other again.