D-Day Reporting...2004

D-Day Reporting...2004

This op-ed piece appeared in the Newnan, GA Sunday newspaper today. The author, Alex McRae, is something of a celebrated local irreverent wise guy (last week he took off on NASCAR fans) and his stuff appears regularly in the paper. It may be too long for some of you, but I think it reflects a lot on how news is being reported today.

How Would The D-Day Invasion be Reported Today? Alex McRae

June, 6, 1944. D-Day. The Normandy invasion. The beginning of the end of World War II, and one of the most storied days in American military history. Today we celebrate not just the 60th anniversary of the event, but the lives of those who perished on the shores of Normandy and those who lived to fight for freedom in the days, weeks and months ahead. We are grateful for their sacrifice, their courage and honor, and for those who followed in Korea, Viet Nam, the Gulf War and now, Iraq.

But more than anything else, we should be grateful D-Day occurred during a more innocent time in America. If World War II had been fought in today's climate of political correctness and covered by our current military-hating national media, things would have been quite different. In fact the story of D-Day might have read something like this... 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 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 invasion also caused severe environmental damage. American troops, tanks, trucks and machinery destroyed miles of pristine shoreline and thousands of acres of ecologically sensitive wetlands. It was believed that the habitat of the spineless French crab was completely wiped out, threatening the species with extinction.

A representative of Greenpeace said his organization, which had tried to stall the invasion for over a year, was appalled at the destruction, but not surprised.

"This is just another example of how the military destroys the environment without a second thought, " said Christine Moanmore. "And it's all about corporate greed."

Contacted at his Manhattan condo, a member of the French government-in-exile who abandoned Paris when Hitler invaded said the invasion was based solely on American financial interests. "Everyone knows the President Roosevelt has ties to big beer," said Pierre LeWimp. "Once the German beer industry is conquered, Roosevelt's beer cronies will control the world market and make a fortune."

Administration supporters said America's aggressive actions were based in part on the assertions of controversial scientist Albert Einstein, who sent a letter to Roosevelt speculating that the Germans were developing a secret weapon, a so-called "atomic bomb." Such a weapon could produce casualties on a scale never seen before and cause environmental damage that could last for thousands of years.

Hitler has denied having such a weapon and international inspectors were unable to locate such weapons even after spending two long weekends in Germany. Shortly after the invasion began reports surfaced that German prisoners had been abused by Americans. Mistreatment of Jews by Germans at so-called "concentration camps" has been rumored but so far, remains unproven.

Several thousand Americans died during the first hours of the invasion and French officials are concerned that uncollected corpses pose a public health risk. "The Americans should have planned for this in advance," they said. "It's their mess and we don't intend to clean it up."

I'm glad the soldiers who fought and died so bravely on D-Day and throughout World War II did so decades ago In the 1940s war was hell, but at least our troops didn't have to fight the folks back home.