Reflections on Memorial Day & D-Day

Memorial Day was just the weekend before last and the anniversary of D-Day is at the end of this week. Those two events serve as poignant reminders of what America once stood against and of what America once represented.

Christine Smith

I recently returned from a vacation in France. It was a trip that we had been planning for a couple of years. We enjoyed a river cruise on the Seine, from Paris to Normandy. The reason we chose this itinerary over the many other river cruise options was the opportunity to visit Normandy.

Years ago, we visited the Churchill War Room and museum in London. We were also fortunate to travel to Hawaii a number of years ago, where we visited Pearl Harbor, the USS Arizona Memorial, and the USS Battleship Missouri, where the World War II peace treaty was signed. These two memorials — facing each other across the harbor — symbolize the beginning and the end of U.S. involvement in World War II. A visit to Normandy would round out our visits to historic locations of World War II.

We were especially lucky to be able to visit the American Cemetery in Normandy and the U.S. landing beaches on Memorial Day weekend. At the cemetery, we witnessed a moving Memorial Day ceremony with American and French dignitaries and military officials honoring the men and women who fought and died in Normandy. On most days, visitors are not allowed to walk between the graves, but on Memorial Day this is permitted.

The experience was deeply moving. Row upon row of grave markers stretched across the landscape. There was a profound silence. American and French flags waved in the breeze. The names of the fallen are etched into the white crosses and Stars of David. We saw many names from Massachusetts, from all across the country, and many that simply read “Unknown.” So many young men and women — some just 17 and 18 years old — found their final resting place on Omaha Beach. It is a solemn place that moved me to tears.

This year, visiting felt even more somber. It was not only the immense loss of life — American, Allied, and Holocaust victims — it also was a reminder of we have lost since then: a sense of what America once represented; a belief in democracy; a reputation as a global leader and moral compass.

In the cemetery, at Omaha Beach and in the small towns and villages nearby, we saw tributes to all the countries who helped liberate France. There were signs of nations working together and of people willing to fight for those who were no longer able to fight for themselves. Countries and soldiers selflessly stepped forward without asking what was in it for them and without asking for payment or favors.

Our soldiers and our allies fought to stop an autocratic and fascist leader — someone who demanded loyalty, sought to silence dissent, demonized the “other” and who desired to invade and take over sovereign nations. We all know this history.

And yet, here in 2025, I wonder what those who laid down their lives in World War II would think about a U.S. president who now echoes those same authoritarian behaviors. Was their sacrifice in vain?

I still hold onto hope. I have faith that the rest of us will honor their legacy — not just with words but by fighting for democracy and by standing up for those who do not have the power to fight for themselves.

Christine Smith is a mother of three, an attorney, and a longtime Canton resident. She currently serves as a member of the Canton Democratic Town Committee. The views expressed in her column are solely her own.

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Posted by Christine Smith on Jun 6 2025. Filed under Featured Content, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.