D-Day Disgrace

While answering emails and letters from constituents at my job on Capitol Hill, I came across one email that particularly concerned me.

The email was from a man in Missouri writing to his congressman (whose office I work for) regarding this year's D-Day ceremony in Normandy, France.

He informed me that on June 6, 2013, American Legion National Commander James E. Koutz attended the ceremonies in Normandy as a representative of all veteran of the United States. At the ceremony, he was showered with gratitude from the nation the American troops had liberated. What shocked me was the news that followed: Commander Koutz was in a minority of just a handful of Americans represented at the ceremony.

In years past, it has been customary for American military fly-overs of the Normandy American Cemetery, where 9,387 American soldiers are buried. It has been a time for a president to give a speech in honor of the sacrifices made on June 6, 1944. Reagan's 1984 speech is considered one of the greatest speeches in history. What did Obama do to recognize the anniversary this year?

There was not a peep from the White House on June 6, 2013. The president didn't so much as tweet an acknowledgement of the day.

President Reagan's words are dripping with respect for the troops he stood to honor. "You risked everything here. Why? Why did you do it? What impelled you to put aside the instinct for self-preservation and risk your lives to take these cliffs? What inspired all the men of the armies that met here? We look at you, and somehow we know the answer. It was faith and belief; it was loyalty and love."

Doubtless the veterans of World War II were honored beyond belief at hearing these words from their president.

How was Commander Kountz honored this year?

Uniformed military units from the Netherlands, France, and even Germany attended the ceremony to honor the shared moment in history. A handful of US troops stationed in Europe had taken personal leave to make it to the ceremony.

The Commander was informed that many US troops stationed nearby had wanted to attend the ceremony, AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE, and were encouraged not to do so, as it would
"project a negative image of the nation in times of budget trouble."

Perhaps they were underestimating the negative image projected by a complete lack of American military presence.

The decision to abandon the tradition of attending the ceremony was reportedly due to the sequester, which in March 2013 made $500 million in cuts to the military. The military leaders have had little flexibility in deciding where the cuts are to be made, and unfortunately travel expenses have taken a hard hit.

Meanwhile, President Obama is busy spending taxpayer money on his many vacations. This month, he will return to Martha's Vineyard.

Commander Koutz has written multiple letters to the President on behalf of the veterans of the United States, merely requesting assurance that U.S. military personnel will be in Normandy next year for the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. As many of the veterans of World War II are in their nineties, we do not have many more years to be able to show them that their sacrifices will never be forgotten.

The media has failed completely to cover this story, so I am here to get the word out myself.

Let us not forget the words of President Reagan. Let us not forget what America stands for.

"Let us make a vow to our dead. Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for. Let our actions say to them the words for which Matthew Ridgway listened: ``I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.'' Strengthened by their courage, heartened by their value, and borne by their memory, let us continue to stand for the ideals for which they lived and died."