Monday, June 5, 2017

The Moment of Momentum



On June 6, 1944, the momentum of global currents changed. Allied forces, led by Dwight Eisenhower, began an invasion into Europe that would eventually turn the tide of history in an entirely new direction. Today, we live in the wake of that momentous moment. There is very little I could say in a short space that would do justice to the magnitude of D-Day as a game-changing historic event in our modern times. Therefore, here are the words of Eisenhower himself, both his message to the troops (and the world) and his reflections on what it took to get there.

The prospect was not bright because of the possibility that we might land the first several waves successfully and then find later build-up impracticable, and so have to leave the isolated original attacking forces easy prey to German counteraction. However, the consequences of the delay justified great risk and I quickly announced the decision to go ahead with the attack on June 6. The time was then 4:15 a.m., June 5. No one present disagreed and there was a definite brightening of faces as, without a further word, each went off to his respective post of duty to flash out to his command the messages that would set the whole host in motion.[1]

While we watch with wonder and concern as our world continues to transform, consider this day, June 6, when D-Day set in motion a momentum that would change the course of a world at war. Consider also how D-Day set in motion a momentum that would also change the course of international relations in a decidedly new direction.







[1] Eisenhower, D. D. (1948). Crusade in Europe. New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., p. 250.