I just returned from a trip to the American D-Day Memorial and Cemetery at Normandy, France. I encountered a disturbing reality visiting the memorial.
The cemetery was a moving experience. White marble crosses and Jewish stars of David lined in rows marking the graves of 9,388 Americans killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations. While my father did not fight on that day, he was proud to be in the service of our country during World War II. He taught me that these Americans fought and died not just to stop an aggressor but to stand up against the evil that comes with fascism and dictatorship.
The memorial museum charted the D-Day battle and subsequent liberation of France. Then, the theme in the museum switched to the principles carried by Germany and its leader. As I took in the images and read the captions, I felt a pain in my gut.
“The struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unmerciful harshness. Adolf Hitler, March 1941.†I thought of the immigrants being sent off to prisons under harsh regimes.
“Nazi ideology was shaped by a biologically based racist notion ... measures were taken to preserve the German nation.†“The Roma and Sinti (minorities) were also targeted by state racism.†I thought of the dismantling of DEI.
“At the heart of the Nazi antisemitism lay the idea that the Jew posed the greatest threat to humanity and that he was responsible for all evils.†I thought of the portrayal of minorities and the LGBTQ+ community being propagated in our country.
Then came the disturbing reality regarding the reaction of the French people to the German takeover of their country:
The Resistance: A significant number but not a majority
Collaboration: A small number
Wait and see: The largest response
The “wait and see†made the takeover and implementation of Nazi ideology in France easy. Once the people did not like what they saw, it was too late. Our Constitution gives us the power of free speech to speak out. If we wait much longer to show resistance by using that freedom, America will become what those 9,388 Americans gave their lives to defend against.
There will not be another country with the values of our Founders to bail us out.
Alan Rezek is a retired meteorologist living in St. Albans.Â
