D-Day, if Reported Today

June 6, 1944. -NORMANDY- Three hundred French civilians were killed and thousands more wounded today in the first hours of America’s invasion of continental Europe. Casualties were heaviest among women and children.

Most of the French casualties were the result of the artillery fire from American ships attempting to knock out German fortifications prior to the landing of hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops. Reports from a makeshift hospital in the French town of St. Mere Eglise said the carnage was far worse than the French had anticipated and reaction against the American invasion was running high. “We are dying for no reason,” said a Frenchman speaking on condition of anonymity. “Americans can’t even shoot straight. I never thought I’d say this, but life was better under Adolph Hitler."

(The preceding comes from this post.)

On the 64th anniversary of D-Day which just passed, some commentators asked this question: Could we win D-Day if it were fought today? Yes, our military has the capacity and courage to win. But what role would the media play? Would the American people truly support our soldiers' efforts? The TV media's portrayal of the day's events would probably go something like this:

Did you catch that at the end of the video? Yes, we lost around 10,000 American lives that day. What an incredible tragedy. But 156,000 American soldiers made it up the beachhead to capture a front fortified by the Nazis, one they had built up for four years.

And today? We have lost a little over 3,000 American lives in combat since the Iraq war began in 2003. This is a tragedy. Make no mistake. I do NOT mean to downplay this loss of life. But this statistic definitely provides perspective, doesn't it? When was the last time you read a news report about a catastrophe in Iraq? Sometimes, absence of news is news itself, particularly when good news in Iraq does not fit the media's narrative of defeatism requiring appeasement. Though many in the media do not want to admit it, the tide IS turning. In fact, it has been for awhile, now. The Iraqi government is becoming increasingly autonomous and several key political compromises between previously warring factions have been reached. The Iraqi military now has control over Sadr City. Casualties of American troops are approaching record lows. I'm sure we will still suffer setbacks along the way, but I truly believe the future looks good, for America and for Iraq.

Many (if not all) of you reading this post support our troops. That is good, because our troops need all the support they can get! Ronald Reagan said this, in giving his Pont du Hoc speech on June 6, 1984: "The Americans who fought here that morning knew word of the invasion was spreading through the darkness back home. They thought--or felt in their hearts, though they couldn't know in fact, that in Georgia they were filling the churches at 4 a.m., in Kansas they were kneeling on their porches and praying, and in Philadelphia they were ringing the Liberty Bell."

So, more than supporting our troops in the general sense, we must pray for our troops, that they remain steadfast in their courage; for our military and political leaders, that they have discernment in their tactical decisions; and for our enemies, that God reveals Himself to them, one by one, turning their love of violence into a love of peace. Christians in America must be on our knees before God. How can we expect any enduring victory otherwise?