75th Anniversary of D-Day: What You Can Do

June 6 marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Codenamed Operation Overlord, D-Day was the successful invasion of the beaches of Normandy, France, that was a monumental victory in liberating Europe from Nazi control during World War II.

To honor the memory of all the people who gave their lives on that important day, here a few things you can do with your children.

Give Back
During the era of World War II and D-Day, many of the veterans came home uncelebrated and unaware of how much their heroic sacrifice meant. It’s hard to imagine since in our time we’ve learned to honor and celebrate service men and women, but many soldiers who returned from WWII spent years in silence and oblivion.

While you may not know a WWII veteran personally, giving back to this older generation of veterans is a worthy cause that we can and should go out of our way to do. To find WWII vets in your area, connect with a local VFW post or community center for veterans. Ask how you can volunteer and give back.

Learn
Whether you’re done with your official homeschool year or if you’re still working, spend some time on June 6 dedicated to learning the history of D-Day. There are many resources where you can read letters from D-Day soldiers or get a detailed overview of events leading up to and following D-Day.

Remember
One of the best and easiest ways to honor the memory of D-Day is to keep the memory alive. We can never forget the hatred and horror of WWII that those D-Day soldiers were willing to give their lives to fight against.

While the history of WWII can be difficult to share with children, it’s important that they learn. The unchecked prejudice against the Jews and the blinding nationalism of the Germans led to more death and destruction than we can imagine. Teach your children to fight against fear and prejudice. Help them to see that bravery and sacrifice are needed in the fight against cruelty and help them remember the heroes of D-Day so history will never repeat itself.