Seventy years ago this week I was a 7th grade
student at St. Patrick’s Boys School in the Acre section of Lowell,
Massachusetts. Shortly after arriving at school on June 6th, we were all marched over to the adjoining St. Patrick's church by the Xaverian Brothers who taught us, and where we joined the girls and the teaching sisters from the Girl’s School. We were all on our knees in the pews Our aging pastor, Father
Meehan, kneeling at the foot of the altar in the lower church, led us in prayer for the success of the invasion of Europe. When the
prayers were concluded, Father Meehan declared a school holiday. Naturally we
were all thrilled, even if we – middle school students - didn’t really
understand the significance of what was happening more than 3000 miles across
the ocean.
Today some South Carolina and other veterans of WWII and the
invasion are visiting in France where the invasion took place on June 6, 1944.
Most of these men are in their 80s and 90s. Sadly, most will not
be around in another 10 years. They will be joined on Friday by President Obama,
Queen Elizabeth, and Russian President Putin.
For them and for us and for history so no one will forget, Time,
Inc. has published a memento volume of pictures and commentary. The
pictures are from LIFE magazine, and many were originally printed within days of being taken
on the battlefield. These and the accompanying text are stark reminders of how
courageous the invasion was. This was a plan that had no alternatives. If the
allies were unable to gain a foothold and begin the march on Germany, today’s
world would be a much different place. All of this is laid out in “D-Day:
70 Years Later.”
(E-mail comments: arch@archibald99.com)
