Veterans from around the world converged in Normandy yesterday to commemorate the lives of those who survived, and the deaths of those who did not in the worlds ultimate struggle for freedom – that against Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Germany.
70 years ago yesterday, thousands of young men – some younger than the age of 18, waded ashore to face a hail of machinegun fire as they tried to get a toehold in Nazi occupied France. 4,400 allied troops were killed on that first day and the carnage was so awful that the sea actually turned red with the blood of the fallen. Some of them drowned as their landing craft pulled up short and it was too deep for them to wade ashore. Many thousands more died – on both sides – in the ensuing three months that paved the way for the liberation of Europe. The commemorative events came as Europe faces another threat to its democratic principles and way of life as Ukraine is torn by strife in the East.
We live in a world that has become consumed by materialism, so much so that WWII veterans have been robbed in their homes, or mugged as they make their way back home from their shopping trips or the pub. It is sad to think that some of today’s younger generations do not remember the sacrifices made by these men who paid the ultimate price.
The flags and the weeping relatives and friends of those who are buried in the Normandy graveyard that is home to 9,378 white marble tombstones is a poignant reminder of the horror of war. Malta too lost many sons and daughters during the war, in our own Blitz and also as young men volunteered to go and fight the Nazis. The European Union was born out of the ashes of WWII as France and Germany and the low countries tried to reconcile and promised never to head down that road again.
But just as what eventually became the European Union was intended to be a tool to foster the spirit of peace and prosperity among our diaspora of peoples, it has now begun to alienate citizens, and it needs to find a way to bring us together once more.
It is amply clear that Europe’s people do not want to war amongst themselves as we have done for literally thousands of years. But it is also clear that the model as it is being projected is having an effect on the confidence of people and their desire for their nations to retain more sovereignty. The EU has been called a “unique experiment in democracy”, and so it is. But it must also take into account the will of the people and the fact that many are starting to feel disenfranchised and alienated. Lest we forget. Many thousands of young men, women and civilians died in that horrible six year war that saw the beginning of its end 70 years ago. Lest we forget.