Sacrifices mustn't be forgotten
THE events held in France at the weekend to commemorate the 65th anniversary of D-Day were both a poignant and an inspiring reminder of the sacrifice made by the thousands of Allied servicemen, in what was a turning point in the Second World War. In spite of the scandalous omission of the Queen, hundreds of veterans were able to make the journey to pay tribute to their comrades who did not return.
In a ceremony at the US cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that he had come to Normandy to remember those who had "advanced grain of sand by grain of sand utterly determined amid the bullets and the bloodshed that freedom would not be pushed back into the sea but would rise from the beaches below to liberate a continent and to save a generation".
US President Barack Obama highlighted the "sheer improbability of the victory" which had taken place.
He added: "D-Day was a time and a place where the bravery and selflessness of a few was able to change the course of an entire century."
While we rightly mark the courage of another era, we should not forget that there are still those putting their lives on the line in the name of freedom. Last Tuesday, 19-year-old Rifleman Cyrus Thatcher became the 166th British fatality in Afghanistan since 2001.
As we reflect on a turnout of 42 per cent in Thursday's European election, perhaps some are guilty of taking for granted those rights which so many gave – and are giving – so much to defend.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 5 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
