D-Day

Keeping a secret

It’s not written in stone that the Allies would have won World War 2. Nor is it written in stone that the West will keep its pedestal as leader of the global order that has helped lift the entire world into an unprecedented economic engine that every previous generation would have salivated to experience.

Yesterday was D-Day.

I had no idea until my feed started showing WW2 vets and their comments about today’s culture and, of course, the sacrifices they made.

Europe and its citizens were under the control of the Nazis. Only the US, Britain, and the USSR were leading the resistance.

It took immense coordination to hide where the attack would be. That is the greatest David Copperfield magic act that I can think of.

How do you convince the powerful enemy with massive intelligence that your attack will take place somewhere where it will not be?

If you've never taken a deep dive into the deception campaign, it's worth it.

Code word: Operation Fortitude

Wars happen. Sacrifices are made, but also the men returning from it.

It’s hard to adjust. Lives are not just lost on the battlefield but in veterans’ minds and limbs.

I don’t always do the greatest job of showing gratitude. In fact, no one does.

For me, reconnecting by experiencing a moment in a great movie helps.

William Wyler’s Best Picture of 1946 (WW2 ended just the previous year) is still powerful because the story never ages.

The Best Year of Our Lives (and could be a double entendre of the years taken away from the youth of that generation)

If you have time, they have real footage of Omaha Beach in color

They say, still, the opening of Saving Private RyanPrivate Ryan is as accurate a depiction as there can be about this invasion. And fortunately, it now streams for free on YouTube.

Reconnecting with the past helps me see my current life differently. Does it work for you?

A question that keeps nagging at me is Could we have won in our current environment where there are no secrets?

Make it a powerful day.

Eric