The Tragedy of War - 70 years after D-Day - Omaha Beach, France

June 6, 2014 was the 70th Anniversary of D-Day and the invasion of France.

The purpose of the invasion was to get the Allied Armies onto the European continent.

It was the largest invasion by sea in history. Almost three million troops crossed the English Channel from England to Normandy in German-occupied France.

The main Allied forces came from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, but another nine nations sent units, the rest being Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.

There were numerous landing points code named Gold Beach, Sword Beach, Omaha Beach, Juno Beach, Pointe du Hoc, and Utah Beach. The invasion went on from June 6 to the middle of July, 1944.

For the Omaha Beach campaign, the United States sent 43,250 infantry, 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, 12 destroyers, and 105 other ships.

Death tolls will never ever really be known for these military operations, but it is estimated that over 2,500 Americans died on Omaha Beach and 1,200 Germans.

This photo below is of Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. 

This photo below is of the same location on Omaha Beach on June 6, 2014. 

Looking at it today, you would never know that 3,700 men died here. You could go for a pleasant stroll on this beach and never know that the blood of these men lies beneath your feet.

Time passes and destruction is obliterated. We forget all of this quickly. However, it is tragic that so much human energy and resources are devoted to war. It is tragic that so many lives are lost, and continue to be lost, world-wide and on a daily basis over these nationalistic, ethnic and religious conflicts.

Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent yearly by governments all over the world for military purposes. This money would better be directed towards providing peace and safety, lodging, food, clean water, medical research, health care and the necessities of life for everyone, world-wide. But we don't do this and we never have. 

We stubbornly refuse to evolve out of the cave man era.

The United Nations announced on June 20, 2014, that 51.2 million people were displaced from their homes at the end of 2013, due to wars and conflicts and the figure is rising every year.  

God help us all.