In Case of Failure | A Reflection on the 80th Anniversary of D-Day

On this day, 80 years ago, the Allied armies joined forces in the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The battle took place on the shores of Normandy, where the waves crashed red in the days that followed.

The battle was brutal. The loss we incurred was catastrophic. In the end, the shadow of the war was swept away by the brave soldiers, navy, and marines who fought. And we prevailed.

But what if we hadn’t?

Above is a handwritten press release scrawled by General Eisenhower so hurriedly that he wrote the date as July instead of June. It is called the 'In Case of Failure' message. We ask you to take a moment and think about what it would have meant for that message to have been delivered. Had it been read by President Roosevelt. Had it been turned into a carefully scripted speech to be edited, re-typed, and broadcast over the airwaves.

What if, instead of a prayer on June 6th, the presidential address had told of the failure to gain a satisfactory foothold? That the troops had been withdrawn. That those who fought did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. That we had failed.

What would the world look like today?

Though D-Day will never hold the same weight for us as it did for those who lived it, we owe them our honor, respect, and gratitude. Because of them, we won. And we’ll never have to know what the shadow might have turned into, had we not.

As Ronald Reagan once said, “Let us show them by our actions that we understand what they died for.”

To the boys of Pointe du Hoc

The men who took the cliffs

The champions who helped free a continent

And the heroes who helped end a war.