Commentary
In the past three years, I have celebrated the anniversary of D-Day in this blog, including photographs of me on the cliffs overlooking the beaches of Normandy, my wife and I visited in 1999.
While yesterday was the anniversary of that momentous achievement for the brave souls of the United States and our allies, I didn’t want the day to go by without recognizing the leadership of Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who in 1953 became our 34th president.
On June 5, 1944, the English Channel was churning with heavy swells, but Eisenhower, though declaring the weather miserable, said, “I don’t like it, we have to go.”
That night, he penciled a note that he planned to deliver if the invasion went wrong.
“My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.”
“I hope to God I’m right,” he told his driver Kay Summersby.
He put the note in his wallet, never to be used, but it revealed a character in Ike that should not be forgotten.
Today, as I look at our generals who have taken our troops down a path of woke with policies of gender identity, critical race theory, climate control, and the renaming of bases and removal of statues of historical miliary figures of the Confederacy, I am embarrassed. Generals like Lloyd Austin and Mark Milley, who treat our troops as if they were their personal petri dishes.
Then there’s President Biden, who blamed former President Trump for the choices he had in executing the withdrawal from Afghanistan in his 12-page review, as he failed to listen to his military advisors, reminiscent of his four decades of other foreign policy failures.
Not only was there no apology for the loss of 13 lives during the withdrawal at Kabul Airport, there was no regret for leaving behind a billion dollars in military weapons, equipment, vehicles, and aircraft for the Taliban.
As we evaluate the 2024 presidential candidates, it is more important than ever that character and leadership be our primary concerns.
May God continue to bless the United States of America.
