Memorial day reflections
Happy Memorial Day to you all!
I always enjoy this day: picnics with friends, pool or lake time, a day off of work to celebrate.
But this year, I’m struck by the gravity of the holiday. Maybe it’s because I’m almost forty years old. Maybe it’s because we just lost Tucker’s beloved grandfather, Bobby Mosteller, who was a veteran himself. I suspect the latter is the truth for my deeper reflection.
As an historian, I have always marveled at the World Wars: the people who rallied, the story of good triumphing over evil (although as history shows us, the true story is often more complicated than at first glance), the cultural revolutions that often followed, the changes to the scientific and geo-political landscapes.
I have visited Normandy and its surrounds twice in my life, and while both trips were profound, the second visit remains one of the most poignant experiences of my life.
The inscription reads (brushing off my dusty French): “The United States of America. Proud of its sons’ actions, humble considering their sacrifices, we erect this monument to their memory.”
This year, I am reflecting on the second World War in particular, as I had the privilege to know and interview two soldiers who stormed Utah Beach several days after D-Day. Even more incredibly, I was able to lead a tour group including these two veterans and their family members as they returned to the beaches seventy years later.
Leslie Dail and Harry Mansfield volunteered for the second world war and faced a baptism by fire in the North Africa campaigns. Their batallion served in all seven campaigns of World War Two, starting in North Africa and ending in Germany. They remained close friends even after their time in service. Some of their closest friends died in the war, and they honored these friends’ memories throughout their remaining days. Mr. Mansfield even named his son after his best friend Ricky, who died on Utah Beach and is buried at the American Cemetery in Normandy.
Mr. Dail and Mr. Mansfield returned to these sandy shores so many years later with our group, and they marveled at how peaceful the coastline was. In their memory, the shoreline was littered with casualties and Czech Hedgehog barriers, supply lines moving inland, and soldiers moving ashore to push the Germans back.
Mr. Mansfield (at left) and Mr. Dail (far right), veterans from the Utah Beach invasion on D-Day +8, Pictured here with Mr. Dail’s son and daughter-in-law, Kevin and Kris Dail.
While visiting Utah Beach on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day Victories, our wonderful tour guide recommended a stop at The Roosevelt Cafe. Mr. Dail, Mr. Mansfield, and the rest of our tour group entered the bar and found the owner. As soon as the owner heard the purpose of our trip, he immediately called out to the restaurant that we had two US Veterans who were on the beaches at D-Day.
Incredibly, the restaurant goers stopped mid-meal to stand and offer applause and “Merci” to the two soldiers. The Roosevelt owner then handed a sharpie to Mr. Dail and Mr. Mansfield and invited them to add their signatures to the bar, dedicated to all returning veterans.
Mr. Mansfield and Mr. Dail signing the bar at The Roosevelt Cafe, where returning veterans are honored and thanked for their service at the D-Day Invasions and the push for Paris afterwards.
Mr. Mansfield and Mr. Dail reminded me that being a soldier means that you can’t quantify or fully identify what you’re being asked to do and sacrifice until after finish your time in service. While we visited the American Cemetery at Normandy, our entire group was emotional because these soldiers never made it home. Some of the graves marked soldiers who were Missing In Action, or listed as unknown.
So, to all the military families out there, today I honor you and your sacrifice. I recognize the missed birthdays, missed holidays, loss of friends, single parenting, financial sacrifice, relocations, difficulty finding work, long nights, early mornings, reliance on Facetime to watch your family grow, long-distance marriages, and the emotional and psychological challenge of what you witness. I also honor the strength, courage, bravery, persistence, mental acuity, and emotional strength of the men and women in our armed forces. Bravo and Brava.
Thank you does not seem like enough. But I offer it with deep sincerity.
Let’s all remember to toast our armed forces while we celebrate with friends and family this weekend.
Happy Memorial Day, everyone!
Our grandfather, the late Bobby Mosteller, a lover of history, with his sons on a tour of Normandy in 2011. Bob passed in late 2022. We treasure the memories of this trip. Bob served in the U.S Army after World War Two.
