Sharon Kennedy: Did you remember to remember D-Day?

Sharon Kennedy’s uncle, Steve Cottelit, who served in World War II.

In years past, I often wrote a column about D-Day but not this year. I don’t know why, but I think it’s because Operation Overload, the code name for the Normandy invasion, is often forgotten amid the chaos of today.

Most of the military involved in it have passed on. If they didn’t tell their stories to loved ones, whatever they experienced on June 6, 1944, died with them. It was a long time ago. Is it important to take a minute out of our busy schedules and reflect on what and why it should be remembered?

After all, we recently celebrated Memorial Day and Veterans Day will be here before we know it. D-Day often passes without much notice or fanfare. For one thing, it’s too close to Memorial Day, and for another, it’s not a U.S. federal holiday. Although it doesn’t get much attention here, it is quite important in France.

Sharon Kennedy

Like everything else, unless we’re directly involved in a situation or close to someone who is, we tend to forget about it. That’s only natural. We don’t forget on purpose. We simply don’t remember. If the importance of an historical invasion is only a footnote in our school textbooks, it’s no surprise it’s quickly forgotten along with lots of other dates. I don’t recall being moved one way or the other when I was in high school and read about monumental events. I was probably like every other teenager. I had more important things on my mind.

It’s only as we age we realize the gratitude we owe those who died in the name of freedom. But what is freedom? Has the definition changed over the past 78 years? Does freedom depend upon a certain type of government or has it morphed into merely a screeching demand for freedom of expression? Does my definition of “freedom” differ from yours? Am I free to do anything I want to regardless of the consequences because they no longer exist in this free-for-all melee we call democratic freedom?

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Well, I don’t know. I thought we were a nation that abided by the rule of law. We had many freedoms, but we also had many lines that could not be crossed. Now these lines have blurred and become almost indistinct. We talk about the freedom of the press, yet we are told the press is fake news. We have the right to peacefully protest, but who decides if a protest is peaceful — the people in attendance or the people in power? We have the freedom to bear arms, but does that give us the freedom to commit horrible crimes and indiscriminate mass shootings?

Freedom is a peculiar right. When does my personal freedom infringe upon yours? I’m free to write this column, and you’re free to disagree with what I say. However, you’re not free to shoot me if my words anger you. Of course, if you hire a competent defense attorney you’ll soon regain your freedom while I’ll lie “a-moldering” in my grave.

In Normandy, D-Day is commemorated with non-violent reenactment battles. Parades are held. Bands play. As a tribute to our soldiers, young people often wear American military garb. We might have forgotten the day the beaches were stormed, but the French have not. Maybe we’ll remember the high price of freedom and give D-Day a quick nod next year if yesterday it passed by us unnoticed.

— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at authorsharonkennedy.com. Kennedy’s latest book, “The SideRoad Kids: Tales from Chippewa County,” is available from her, Amazon, or Audible. 

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Sharon Kennedy: Did you remember to remember D-Day?