Opinion: These were men of unbelievable courage

Only a few thousand veterans of the D-Day invasion are still alive, and their numbers decline daily. These veterans are in their 90s, and while many may continue to be in good health (we hope), time and circumstance do happen to us all.

If you know one of these courageous men, remember to thank him whenever you see him for the bravery he exhibited in walking into the hailstorm of bullets the Nazis rained down on the D-Day invaders. His courage helped sweep cruelty and tyranny from the shore lands of Europe and put an end to World War II.

Californian Jake Larson, 96, told this story to CBS on his first return to Normandy since the day he stormed ashore into a wall of flying bullets:

“I stopped for a cigarette behind [a] berm, and my matches were wet,” he said. “I turned to — to my left, and not three feet from me there was a soldier. And I says, ‘Buddy, have you got a match?’ And he didn’t answer. I looked again, and there was no head under the helmet. The soul of that boy inspired me to [get] up at that instant and run for the cliff.”

God bless the soul of that boy, and God bless Jake Larson for reminding us of the price of freedom.