Reflection on D-Day: Thank a vet

June 6, 1944, was the date when the United States and its allies began their amphibious invasion of Western Europe on the beaches of Normandy in northern France.

But D-Day wasn’t just an invasion, nor just a massive military operation — it was a statement. A statement that evil must be confronted, that oppression must not be allowed to stand, that free people must be willing to sacrifice mightily in order to stay free.

More than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of the Normandy coastline on June 6 under the direction of Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower. The Nazis fought back fiercely, resulting in as many as 5,000 deaths of Allied soldiers, sailors and paratroopers. But Eisenhower and the nations behind him declared, “We will accept nothing less than full victory.”

All the people of the world owe an eternal debt of gratitude for those brave soldiers and their leaders who vowed not just to stay free, but to also free those who were already in chains.

It is therefore fitting that today the surviving veterans of that campaign will be honored, many for the last time, as America and the world once more take note of their bravery, determination and fortitude against a barbaric foe.

Whatever you are did on June 6, we hope you took the time to adequately consider our debt to the heroes of D-Day, and as always, thank a veteran for his or her service to our nation.