Nope. Not my age.
Operation Overlord. 6th June 1944
Yes I'm a limp-wristed liberal baby-boomer, so gbaji/MonXdot et al. Seek sustenance elsewhere.
No-one can glorify the loss of life and brutal injuries sustained on that day in '44, but it just brought a few thoughts to the front of my tea-soaked brain.
Half of Europe under the iron fist of Hitler's brutally oppressive military regime.
The Empire rallying around Mater Britannica, with Aussies, Kiwis, Cancucks and Punjabis laying down their lives for a cause (or because they were fu[/Aqua]cking well told to. . . wha'evah)
Thousands of Americans putting in the much-needed muscle and strategy to give it a chance of working.
The use of incredibly innovative technology and engineering to try to tip the odds in the allies' favoUr.
Every Saturday when I drop the n0blet off at acting school, I pass dozens of beggars and charity collecters. Apart from the Big Issue seller, they all get ignored or told to fu[Aqua]ck off. That is, until I meet the old guy in the blazer and beret, with his medals shining as brightly as when the King pinned them to his lapels. For all I know, his weekdays may be fulfilling and rich, or an empty loneliness waiting for Saturday. What I do know is that he wears his Normandy Veteran badge with pride. Always manages to get a fiver from my wallet.
I will never know the fear and anguish he went through that day. Sure, he could've hidden behind an ALC for the whole thing, but what he represents means something to me.
Hitler was an easier target than we face at the moment. A nation state with a statuted army, navy and airforce. We could engage in direct combat and (usually) know exactly who the enemy was.
But for the armed forces, the situation is hardly different today. They go where they're sent, do what they're told, and do so with courage. Of course, one or two go ape-sh[Aqua][/Aqua]it, just as they did back in WWII; we didn't have tabloids then like we do now.
So for the old guy who'll be there on Saturday morning, for my relatives who didn't come back from D-Day, and for all those out there fighting for their country. . Well, this is the Asylum, so. . . GFY