Soldiers wading ashore at Utah Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944. (Photo courtesy of National Archives USA)
We realized we would be doing something very few people
left behind grew into the leaders who are shaping the world
way that seemed only fitting; we were like soldiers, trying to
gave their lives did not die in vain.
get to do. A group of us decided to take the long way to the
W
cemetery, going along Omaha Beach, following the same route
as the U.S. 1st Infantry. We got lost on our way there, but in a
carve our way up an unfamiliar hillside, unsure of our path but
aware of an objective we needed to meet.
broader arc of so many touched by the war brings into sharp
focus what we must not take for granted, so that those who
hen we reached the cemetery, it was filled with
white crosses glistening in the sunlight. As we
listened to the eulogies prepared by the students
for “their” soldiers, every story we heard brought fresh tears.
Every one was distinct and special. For us, in those moments,
the war dead were no longer a faceless crowd. We gained
an appreciation of the value of each individual life and each
soldier’s contribution to the freedom we now hold so precious.
Words cannot explain how this program has changed our
lives. For one thing, we learned that in order to not allow this
kind of destructive event to repeat itself, we must understand
it. The institute also taught us there is always something
bigger than ourselves. What we managed to accomplish, in
retracing and honoring the lives and legacies of the fallen, is
a journey every American should strive to make, whether it is
in Normandy or the hometowns where men and women who
38
today. Understanding the trajectory of a single life within the
gave their lives once lived, and where the family members they
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY 2015
A COMPETENT LEADER
CAN GET EFFICIENT
SERVICE FROM POOR
TROOPS, WHILE ON
THE CONTRARY AN
INCAPABLE LEADER CAN
DEMORALIZE THE BEST
OF TROOPS.
– JOHN J. PERSHING