D-Day reminds us what is possible when free nations unite

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Frank Cohn, a retired U.S. Army colonel, is a World War II veteran.

Eighty-two years ago, on June 6, 1944, young Americans stormed the beaches of Normandy alongside British, Canadian and other Allied forces in what would become known as D-Day. Many never made it off those beaches. Many others carried the memory of that day for the rest of their lives.

As one of the last surviving veterans of World War II, I think about D-Day often this time of year. I think about the courage it required. I think about the extraordinary sacrifice. But most of all, I think about what made that moment possible: unity.

The Allied invasion of Normandy was one of the largest and most complex military operations in history. It required coordination among nations with different languages, cultures, political systems and military traditions. Americans fought beside British, Canadian, free French, Polish, Norwegian and other Allied troops. Together, they confronted a common threat larger than any one nation could defeat alone.

That alliance changed the course of history.

I understand that meaning personally. I was born in Germany in 1925. As a Jewish child, I watched my country descend into hatred and extremism. My family escaped to the United States in 1938, just before the violence of Kristallnacht revealed how dangerous that hatred had become. America gave me refuge. It gave me freedom. And during the war, it gave me the chance to serve in the United States Army.

I returned to Europe wearing an American uniform, serving in military intelligence because I spoke German. I saw firsthand the devastation caused by division, nationalism and intolerance unchecked by strong alliances and moral leadership.

That is why I worry when I see the bonds between the United States and Europe beginning to fray.

Political disputes come and go. Nations will always have disagreements. But history teaches us the danger of allowing those disagreements to weaken the alliances that preserve peace and stability. After World War II, the United States helped rebuild Europe not simply out of generosity, but because American leaders understood a fundamental truth: our security and prosperity are tied together.

The trans-Atlantic alliance helped prevent another world war. It defended democracy during the Cold War. And it created decades of unprecedented stability and cooperation.

None of that happened by accident.

Every time I visit the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and attend ceremonies hosted by Friends of the National World War II Memorial, I am reminded of this. Visitors walk among the pillars representing every state and territory. They read the words etched in stone. They see the price paid by an entire generation.

But the Memorial is not only about remembering the past. It is also about understanding the responsibility we carry forward.

The young men who landed on Omaha Beach did not fight only for America. They fought for the survival of freedom itself. They fought believing that democratic nations are stronger when they stand together than when they stand apart.

That lesson matters just as much today.

Around the world, democracy faces pressure from authoritarianism, disinformation, extremism and growing distrust between nations. In times like these, it can be tempting to retreat inward, to view alliances as burdens instead of strengths. But D-Day reminds us what is possible when free nations unite around shared values and common purpose.

At 100 years old, I know my generation will not be here forever to tell these stories. Soon, the voices of those who witnessed World War II firsthand will fall silent. But the lessons of that war must not disappear with us.

D-Day was more than a military operation. It was a declaration that unity is stronger than tyranny, that alliances matter, and that freedom is worth defending together.

On this anniversary, I hope Americans and our allies remember not only what was achieved on June 6, 1944, but how it was achieved.