The 80th anniversary of D-Day caused me to reflect on those young men who gave the last full measure of devotion to come to the aid of so many others (whom they did not know and were not related to) that had been enslaved.

And all those like them throughout the years … and wars. Even sadder, it caused me to reflect on young people now, the majority of whom appear to be entitled, spoiled, and craven. And the many who are on college campuses, protesting for those that would kill or enslave them if they had the chance, and against the very freedoms bequeathed to them.

Time is a fickle thing.

Would those who sacrificed so much have done so if they had known this would someday be the case? Reparations? Don’t those of us alive today owe them something? Particularly the kids from wealthy families attending elite schools and insisting their every demand be met and every protest be heard … even as others end up paying for their privilege?

I have never fully bought into the term “greatest generation,” as there have been several great generations. I think of the Founders in particular, or those who fought in the Civil War. However, the generation that victoriously fought in World War II, and came home to build a vibrant economy and thriving families, is certainly one of the greatest.

But let’s think of them as individuals, something leftists are loath to do. Let us think of the young man from Chicago who hated to leave his struggling family but was proud to serve his country. Or the one from Los Angeles who was sure he was on the way to becoming a movie star but followed a higher calling. Or the one from Alabama who wanted nothing more than to marry his childhood sweetheart and live quietly — and happily — ever after, and never got the chance. Or the 18-year-old from Iowa who loved the family farm, and the cool creek running through the north forty. Or the 20-year-old from Minneapolis who had never missed a summer at the family’s northern Minnesota lake cabin.

Their sacrifices, some ultimate, now rarely — and barely — get noticed, if at all. They did not protest. They did not make demands. They did not blame others for their fortunes. They did not scream, yell, cry, and dissemble. And they did not stick up for evil. They fought it.

Greater love hath no man than this.

Image: Expert Infantry, via Flickr // CC BY 2.0 DEED