To the brave and women who have served our nation, few days deserve more honor and recognition than June 6. Yes, Memorial Day, just a few days prior, and a month later, July 4, get all the hype, as they are official and national holidays to honor our nation’s independence and those who have sacrificed to keep that independence.
However, June 6, better known as D-Day, is one of the primary reasons we have to honor those lost in service to our nation in the first place.
You might remember from history class that D-Day was the start of the two-month-long Battle of Normandy, through which France was eventually freed from the grip of Hitler’s Nazi Germany during World War II.
According to the National D-Day Memorial, total Allied fatalities for the battle are estimated at around 10,000, with 4,415 of those happening on the first day alone. The memorial notes that “Operation Overlord,” as it was codenamed, included “over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, and over 150,000 service men.”
And with such heavy losses incurred, it has become a national tradition in all Allied countries to honor the great many who lost their lives with a day of remembrance and gratitude. This means that heads of state such as the Queen of England and President of the United States make it a point to praise the bravery and sacrifice of our lost.
A great example of this took place two years ago, for the 75th anniversary of the day. Then-President Donald Trump gave such a powerful and awe-inspiring speech that even some of his most notorious critics praised him.
But apparently, Democratic President Joe Biden has no plans of keeping up such a tradition, as June 6, 2021, came and went without a single word about the historical importance of the day mentioned.
That’s right, Biden didn’t even remember the day, let alone all those thousands of lives lost, so that he could one day assume the power of the White House in the freest nation on Earth.
Now, that isn’t to say he didn’t honor at least something on that day.
Instead of remarking on the great sacrifices paid by our military, he chose to honor the living and the dead of another historical event, the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.
It might not have been covered to the same degree of D-Day in your education, as it was not an event that changed the world or its dynamics. However, it was a gruesome event nonetheless and one that does deserve our honor and respect.
In the early 1900s, Tulsa, Oklahoma, became a popular settling place for many African-Americans, particularly in the neighborhood of Greenwood. History.com remarks that the community “grew and flourished as a Black economic and cultural Mecca – until May 31, 192. That’s when a white mob began a rampage through some 35 square blocks, decimating the community known proudly as ‘Black Wall Street.’
The website notes that due to “armed rioters,” those 35 blocks were left in heaps of ash and broken bodies. Even hospitals, churches, and schools, and more were destroyed and burned. And “while the official death toll of the Tulsa race massacre was 36, historians estimate it may have been as high as 300. As many as 10,000 people were left homeless.”
To say it’s an event worth remembering and learning from, as well as paying tribute to, is an understatement, to be sure. So I’m not trying to say that Biden was wrong in doing so.
Neither was he wrong in traveling to Tulsa in person the week before to do more of the same, speaking to survivors and commemorating the occasion. I even understand that an extra dose of honor might be what was needed in this day and age where race has become a dividing factor as of late.
But to then forget about D-Day altogether? Shouldn’t both atrocious events have been mentioned and pay homage to?
You’re damn right they should have been – especially since Biden had already honored the Tulsa Massacre once.
And yet, when it came to honoring our military, the Biden administration failed our nation again. Not even a single word was said about D-Day, on that day or the day after.
It doesn’t take much to see what Biden prioritizes, does it?