This Father’s Day, with the recent 80th anniversary of D-Day, I am thinking of the patriotism of our Fathers. Both my Father and Father-in-Law served in the US Army during WWII. One marched through the jungles of Asia and the other through Africa, Italy, and Germany. Each won a Bronze Star for bravery and a Purple Heart for being wounded in battle. They were part of America’s Greatest Generation that saved democracy for the US and for the world.
Who were these fine men and what would they think today of the country they loved?
They were schoolteachers, carpenters, ragmen, automotive store managers. They were white, black, Christian, and Jew. They were from the North, South, East, and West. They were sons, brothers, uncles, and/or would become fathers. They and their Band of Brothers met the dangers and uncertainty of battle with the certainty of their just cause. The fortunate ones returned home to family, jobs, and some via the G.I. Bill to schools and to a more united if still imperfect country. They built the American post-war economy that brought millions of us into the U.S. middle class. They continued to sacrifice as fathers for family and sent many of their children to colleges and universities as the first generation in many families with a college degree. They saw amazing advances in civil rights and gender equality.
Now 80 years later, our democracy faces perhaps the greatest risk since those brave young men stormed the beaches of Normandy. Sadly, both my Father and my Father-in-Law are no longer here to tell me what they would think about the division in our country today. One, a Republican from Pennsylvania and the other, a Democrat from Michigan, would once again defend the freedom they fought to preserve.
My Fathers would not accept attacks on our Democratic Institutions, the free press, the rule of law, our proud military, the FBI and police, our places of worship, and our places of learning. They would read local and national newspapers, and not be seduced down a rabbit hole of social media or be susceptible to ‘alternate facts’. They would encourage their sons and daughters to stand up for our rights and stand up for our democracy.
In the November Presidential Election, both of my Dads would cast their sacred ballot, one that they spilled their blood to secure, for Joe Biden. I will be doing the same and I hope many of my fellow Chester County residents will as well.
Please remember your own Dads on this Father’s Day 2024. Thank you, Dad, and all the Fathers of your generation.
Happy Father’s Day!
Robert Kahn
