“You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.” This is the opening section from a note signed by General Dwight D. Eisenhower to the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force before the commencement of Operation Overlord—commonly known as the Battle of Normandy and D-Day.
“Your task will not be an easy one . . . I have full confidence in your courage and devotion to duty and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full Victory!” Gen. Eisenhower’s note concluded.
This Memorial Day we pay special attention to the fallen of World War II, because it now has been 75 years since those beach landings. In the early morning hours of 6 June 1944, nearly 7,000 Allied vessels transported almost 160,000 troops to the shores of Normandy. While the success of this landing is marked as the turning point to ending World War II in Europe, at the time the future was uncertain, and the free world stood on a precipice offering up the lives of many to preserve that freedom. As it was a day of great loss, many families back home received the devastating news that their loved ones’ lives had been torn from them in the protection of freedom.
In my own family, both of my grandfathers fought in World War I and my father in World War II. My father originally joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers in his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, at the outbreak of the war. This was his father’s same regiment, which had prevailed during World War I. After commissioning, in the run up to allied invasion, my dad became a member of the Lake Superior Regiment (Motorized) and forward-deployed to England to conduct training and await follow-on orders. He made the trip across the English Channel to Normandy, but not with the main thrust of the invading force. He arrived in Normandy on D+44, the 19 July 1944, well after the initial onslaught took place on the beaches. My dad may have arrived on D+44, but when I stare at his personal copy of the 4th Canadian Armored Division War Map, which hangs in my study, it is clear that the division quickly entered the fray with the German Army shortly after their arrival. As he worked his way through France, it was a slog. The dots on the map were spaced very closely together—a clustering early on around the places that he and his fellow Canadians fought and stopped to resupply, regroup, and move on—through France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and finally, into Germany. Casualties were heavy on both sides.
My dad often commented that the Germans fought hard against the Allies and in the beginning; they did not give up easily. However, as logistics became more of a problem for the enemy, the German Army began to retreat towards the homeland and some units surrendered when cut off or met with overwhelming firepower. Instead of hunkering down for the protracted fight, my dad told me that often, in the middle of a firefight, some German units would raise a white flag or, if they didn’t have one, would stand up in the hedgerows with their hands in the air, signaling the end of their resistance.
Situations like this sometimes presented problems for him. In a lucid moment, he told me the story of the young Canadian sub-leftenant surprised by a large number of surrendering German soldiers and their officers. My dad said, he and his men lined them up on the road, telling them to keep their hands up and start marching to the Allied rear area. He said they only had a few Canadians on this one particular day, and frankly, they were too scared to try to disarm each German soldier and officer; it wasn’t worth the risk of one of them going rogue on the Canadians. Many of the German officers still had their sidearms, but it was clear that the majority of them were finished or fed-up and ready to end the fighting in return for a hot meal and some rest. They wisely chose life over death.
This is one of the many stories my dad shared with me about his time in the war. Thankfully my father survived, or I would not be here today.
In the years following World War II, the NATO alliance was formed to secure a lasting peace in Europe, based on the common values of individual liberty, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. These are the same values our soldiers, sailors, and airman fought to defend 75 years ago and those we defend today. Without the ultimate sacrifice paid by millions of the brave—affecting an entire generation of people—I cannot imagine what the world would be like if there had been a different outcome of the war.
This year we celebrate 70 years of NATO as the most powerful and successful alliance in history. As a commander of U.S. and NATO forces, I often talk about deterrence, stressing that the goal of NATO is to deter aggression and maintain peace. Those are not empty words. I believe them, because my father’s stories remind me of what mankind is capable of at its worst, when tyranny goes unchecked. This is why I so staunchly believe in NATO’s charter and its mission.
And now, 75 years after those beach landings, Germany is just one of many close allies where we have U.S. service members assigned to protect the values and freedom our forefathers fought for during World War II. Germany joined NATO in 1955 as its country’s leaders realized the need to protect our collective freedoms and the fact that no nation can do this alone. In fact, in my NATO role, my Command Senior Enlisted Leader, Command Sergeant Major Juergen Stark, is a German. He is a “Soldier’s Soldier”—physically fit, mentally tough, yet caring and compassionate for his troops. He is the grandson of a German soldier who also survived the World War II. Like me, he has similar stories from his family, but from a different perspective. The two of us now stand shoulder-to-shoulder as friends and allies, when just a generation ago, our families fought one another. In the final analysis, if he were alive today, I know that my dad would approve.
As the sun sets on Memorial Day, I encourage each of you to take a moment to remember those who have gone before us. Our brothers and sisters in arms, who stood watch and went bravely into battle before us to ensure freedom and peace. They fought and stood for the same values we stand for today—individual liberty, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.
I will deliver this same message in London when I speak at the Cambridge American Cemetery. There, we will remember the 3,811 U.S. service members whose final resting place is at Cambridge and the 5,127 names recorded on the Walls of the Missing. This Memorial Day, we will remember these service members while many other Americans and nations around the world remember all of those who fought and died to bring the war to an end and peace to the world.
As we observe the many memorial events surrounding the 75th anniversary of the Allied invasion of Normandy, I am reminded of the mantra of the Royal 22nd Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces—“The Van Doos”—which, simply stated, is: “Je me souviens, Je me souviens!” As we pause on Memorial Day and then again on D-Day, let us also say out loud, “I remember, I remember!”
Adm. James G. Foggo III, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa, U.S. Army Major Gen. Leopoldo Quintas, U.S. Army Brigadier Gen. Jon Howerton, Benoit Vidon and French Col. Eric Taillandier render salutes during a Memorial Day and World War I centennial commemoration ceremony at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery, France, May 27, 2018. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan Riley/Released)
