This weekend is the 65th anniversary of the dawn of the most important military campaign in the 20th century.
It’s also a reminder of our mortality and a chance to connect with our recent past before it’s gone.
As in all wars, the assault upon Normandy, France, was brutal, painful and brought far too many deaths. But the Allied offensive on those beaches marked a turning point in the European theater of World War II.
Americans played a huge role in the push on Nazi-controlled Europe, and they fought side by side with Britons and Canadians, among others.
The significance of June 6, 1944, was apparent even the day after -- The Daily Star breathlessly editorialized on the effort on June 7 -- but it was not the end. It was but the beginning of a long, difficult slog, a brave, dogged movement toward freeing Europe from Hitler’s genocidal reign.
Today, there is a rapidly dwindling number of American veterans left from the war, and fewer still from D-Day.
It is ever-more important that we must carry on the memories from that time. The horrors of that war, and its most prominent campaign, can unite all Americans.
D-Day reminds us of how we must move toward a world without war, but it also reminds us that until then, there are causes we must fight for, whether it be with guns or by other means.
Much as Pearl Harbor’s 65th anniversary two years ago was recognized as the last grand gathering of its veterans, so too do we experience this on D-Day.
The heroes who have always been part of our present are slowly fading, with grand dignity, into the gray, unreachable past.
All these years later, however, there are still those left who fought or lived through that time. If you know them, take a moment to learn from them. Some will tell their stories of war, while others defer. But this is a generation from which we can still learn, and learn from firsthand.
They are called “the greatest generation.” This is not hyperbole. Many of them, as the saying goes, gave the best years of their lives.
After that, all they did was come home, raise the next generation and propel America into never-before-seen success. The prosperity we enjoy today -- indeed, the middle class itself -- is due in large part to the men and women of the WWII-era generation.
They gave us freedom, they gave us comfort, and they made us the envy of the world.
What can we give them on this anniversary? Let us not only ask that, but answer.
Editorials
Honor our D-Day vets
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Women must win fight for opportunity
The Pentagon announced Thursday that it will recommend that Congress officially allow women to serve in more jobs closer to the front lines.
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Center helps victims of child abuse and neglect
We learned some good news about some terrible news in a story by reporter Joe Mahoney in Tuesday's Daily Star.
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Chamber made excellent choices on service awards
A special committee selected by the Otsego County Chamber has made two excellent decisions regarding the organization's annual awards for service to our communities.
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Cheers
To Michael Shea, Terry Bliss, and the passage of the bill to allow Otsego's exit from MOSA.
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A sad tale may come to an end with arrests
People are almost always sad, and sometimes outraged, whenever something awful happens to a fellow human being.
Continued ... - Saturday, February 4, 2012
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Pill abuse should be a priority for police, pols
Sens. Charles Schumer of New York and Mark Pryor of Arkansas proposed a bill this week to help police combat a disturbing trend of increasing prescription drug abuse.
Continued ... - Friday, February 3, 2012
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More needs to be done to aid vets with PTSD
The recent story of Stamford grandmother Melody DiGregorio grieving the loss of her grandson, Air Force veteran Edward "Drew" Snyder, brings home the debilitating and often-unreported effects of post-traumatic stress disorder on our service men and women.
Continued ... - Thursday, February 2, 2012
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Area 'shocked' at underage drinking? That's shocking
It has been referenced so often that it has become a cliché.
Continued ... - Wednesday, February 1, 2012
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School's new lease on life a welcome development
It is a big place designed to echo with the sounds of young people in a healthy learning environment.
Continued ... - Tuesday, January 31, 2012
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Cheers
To the Central American Youth Ambassadors Program, to Ray Preston and to the NCOC building trades class and the Prattsville Fire Department.
Continued ... - Monday, January 30, 2012
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Mitt's not at fault for loopholes in tax code
As the longtime frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, Mitt Romney has faced withering attacks from rivals seeking to upset him.
Continued ... - Saturday, January 28, 2012
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Rest in peace, Naples and Stalter
Our area recently lost two important and influential members of our community: Oneonta surgeon Dr. Kenneth D. Stalter and newly elected Sixth Ward Council Member Mike Naples.
Continued ... - Friday, January 27, 2012
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Case closed on 2 years of turmoil
"Case closed."
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Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller was referring to possible criminal charges against fired police officer Michael Breen on Wednesday, but Miller just as easily could have been talking about the more than two years of turmoil the city has endured with its police department. - Thursday, January 26, 2012
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Obama played his cards right Tuesday
Despite a daunting economy and a challenging re-election campaign, on Tuesday night President Barack Obama displayed what Mark Twain called "the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces" in his State of the Union address.
Continued ... - Wednesday, January 25, 2012
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Searching for votes instead of honor
Say what you will about John McCain, the Republican nominee for president in 2008 who inflicted an ignorant Sarah Palin upon an unsuspecting nation.
Continued ... - Tuesday, January 24, 2012
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Cheers
To MLK Jr. Day events, Diana Nicols, and Jordan Beers and Mariah Ruff.
Continued ... - Monday, January 23, 2012
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Dignity not enough to show in speech
After weeks of watching the often unseemly, if not downright humorous, antics of the Republican candidates for his job, President Barack Obama should have little trouble providing at least one thing Tuesday night in his State of the Union address. Dignity.
Continued ... - Saturday, January 21, 2012
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Tension with Iran is better than war
The dispute between Iran and the U.S. appeared close to boiling over into outright war last week, when a bomb in Tehran killed an Iranian nuclear scientist and Iran sentenced an accused Iranian-American spy to death.
Continued ... - Friday, January 20, 2012
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Let's hope no funding means no drilling
When it comes to state approval or disapproval of hydrofracturing in New York state, we certainly hope that no news is good news.
Continued ... - Thursday, January 19, 2012
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Testing is no way to judge teachers
Like him or not _ and according to the latest polls, more then 70 percent of New Yorkers do _ you've got to give Andrew Cuomo credit for guts.
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Women must win fight for opportunity
