Basitally I, ard proud oF what

wy father did inthe war

ad aSharned of what he's
~, done in the legion

M

/
/

Grandpa looks
back at those

Il'S HARD to explain D-
Day to teenage grandsons. If
they've heard of it at all, it
has been simply as the name
of'an ancient batde in a dis-
tant, long-ago war that
ought never to have hap-
pened,

The past week's massive media
coverage of the 50th anniversary
ceremonies may have taught them a
few more facts about June 6, 1944.
Chiefly, however, facts of the
“biggest is best” kind. |

For among other things, D-Day
was history's biggest-ever military
operation,

The drama of the mammoth
opening air strike by 15,000 fight-

‘ ers, bombers, transport planes and

od WS. CVIL

ITH THE 50th 3 anniversary of D-.
. Day upon us, thoughts turn to June”
6, when our history by selective
consent tells us the tide was turned ina
unimaginably brutal war. That’s the day
Allied troops crossed the English Channel to
challenge the forces of fascism on the beaches
of ‘Normandy.
‘The ensuing battle was a meat grinder and
many ‘brave young lives were lost.
: As has been the case throughout the often
‘sordid journey of mankind, the historic
record of choice is that of the victor. The
chilling losses suffered by the Russians, for
example, are not weighed the same as our
“own sacrifices when the western version of
the story of the Second World War is told.
Arguably, the fury and resources expended
by the Nazis on the eastern front, as much as
the focusing of U.S. willpower and firepower,

made the D-Day moment in time possible.
We rightly pay our respects to those who
lost their lives defending something they
believe in. But, like it or not, as long as peo-
ple organize themselves into nation-states, we
will have war. As our own flags are waved
this weekend and the jingoists capitalize on
what are ultimately tragic and very personal
human losses, remember this: each of us has
two angels sitting on our shoulders, the

guardian angel and her evil twin sister. Our |

urge to destruction is as real and as powerful
as our urge to greatness as builders of civi-
lization. But we have/a choice about which
urge to'give expression to. On this occasion
of remembrance of a past war fought, each of
us should acknowledge our good angel and
her message that we are all sisters and broth-
ers. Take the concept to heart and work to
make it more than a concept.

“Students have their own gods
-. The gods include technology,
| consumerism and tribalism.”
American social critic and New
“1 York University professor Neil
\; Postman, on modern youth. (From
the June 3 Just Add Water column.)
“Hell, I’m pulling for the

Petar Speck
imothy Renshaw

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Canucks ... But I think the
Rangers have too much depth for
them. This is one of the best
teams money can buy.”

Alex Shibicky, a member of the
1940 Stantcy Cup-winning New
York Rangers, on the 1994 version
of the Rangers. (From Jim

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Kearney’s June 1 News column.)
“Racism is negative for both
the victim and the perpetrator.
The price is paid by both parties
. « for generations to come.”
Salim Kaderali, on racism.
(From a May 29 News feature on
Multiculturalism.)

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Entire contents © 1994 North Shore Free Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

gliders, which literally blew the .
German Air Force out of the sky,
might impress even 3 1994 teen.

So might the saga of the some
7,000 warships and landing craft
crossing 100 stormy miles of
English Channel overnight.

And the dawn landings on a 56-
mile stretch of Normandy beach by
a mighty army of 170,000 men
from all over the free world —
Canadians, Brits, Yanks, Aussies
and Kiwis, plus Poies, French,
Norwegians, Greeks and Danes.

Sure, that’s a neat story, say the
teens. But all wars are dumb
because, in the end, everyone loses
— right?

So don’t try to con us that there

was anything glorious about D-Day’

death and suffering.

Their cynicism is understand- |
able. For three out of four
Canadians born since 1945 —
weaned on the Victnam fiasco and
tiresome brush-fire conflicts in dis-
tant parts of the globe — war is
simply a dirty word, period. Few
aged 50 and under can grasp the
idea that war is sometimes a
straight life-and-death struggle of
good versus evil.

Yet good versus evil is exactly
what D-Day and its heroes —
14,000 of them Canadians — were
all about. Because the time left to
defeat a particularly terrifying evil
was fast running out. -

By June 1944, Hitler was
belicved to be within a year or less
of completing an atorn bomb.
Moreover, he already had the rock-
ets to deliver it and, indeed, used
them -—~ armed with conventional
warheads —- against southern
England during the final months of
the war.

Had he been first, way ahead of
the Americans, to arm rockets with

HITHER AND YON

/

/
nukes, there could well have teen
no way of preventing the Nazi:
tyranny from dominating the world
for an indefinite period.

The world was saved from that
fate by the D-Day kids whose guts
and determination on those beaches
50 years ago we salute today. —

Kids not much older than you,
grandsons. Kids who, like you,
knew good from evil — and knew
that fighting evil was the only
choice.

’

 SCRATCHPAD: The North

Shore’s own Pandora’s Vox, - ..
Gillian Hunt’s vivacious and ver-
satile 13-woman ensemble which
sings everything from Bach to the
Beaties with charm, verve and
humor, debuts at 8 p.m. June 8-11

at the Firehall Arts Centre, 280 East’
Cordova. Tickets ($15) at 280-2801 ;
and 689-0926 — go enjoy them
conquering overtown! ... Carol
Kent addresses tomorrow’s, June

6, North Shore Christian ;
Women’ s Club luncheon/fashion : ~
show at 12 noon at the International
Plaza — tickets $10.50, call 921-°
6121 to.reserve ... Also Monday, .” -
find romances, mystery and sci. fi.

galore at the Lions Gate Hospital. °

Auxiliary’s Book Sale, 10:30a.m.. |:
to 2 p.m. in the Medical Day Care -
Gym ... And many happy returns of
today, June 5, to West Van bridge

‘ace Edna Morse —- also the best

teacher any bridge dunce could :
wish for!

WRIGHT OR. WRONG: We
learn from experience. A parent .
never wakes up the second baby
just to see it smile.

__ | Victor Dezso photo

PANDORA'S VOX... North Shore’ S gift to Metro Vancouver. : oe