大象传媒

Good morning.听 The D-day war cemeteries are really very lovely places.听 Peaceful and immaculately maintained.听 But as well as being unforgettably beautiful, they are also heartbreakingly sad.听 The landings themselves, which started 70 years ago today marked the start of the end of the Second World War in Europe.听 They represented a triumph of military strategy, planning and execution, and they saw individual and group heroism on an epic scale.听听

听

But standing amongst the manicured lawns it鈥檚 hard not to be jolted by the realisation that every one of the apparently endless rows of perfectly aligned, crisp, white grave stones represents a man, most of them very young, and all of them cut down horribly before their time.听

听

We have every reason to give thanks for the military success of the landings the outcome if they had failed really doesn鈥檛 bear thinking about.听 It鈥檚 good for us to be reminded at a time when wars seem to happen far away, that war once actually came very close to home.听 And in any case, those who survived D-day and are still with us deserve to be honoured for what they achieved on our behalf.听

听

But we must never forget the price paid.听 Not least because, those who survived never for a second forgot the comrades they left behind.听 From time to time some people question why we continue to mark anniversaries like this, but we surely need occasions of this kind to remind us that war carries a massive human cost.听 Forget that and we betray those that we send to fight, we betray ourselves and, I would argue, we betray those who died to give us the choice.听

听

Lord God, we remember today all those who took part in the D-day landings.听 We give thanks for their courage and commitment.听 And we pray that future generations will continue to honour what they did and what it cost.听 Amen