Posted: 6/5/02

Don't forget sacrifices of D-Day in 1944

Bob Henderson of Wyoming is reluctant to talk about his days during World War II. No doubt deeply proud of his military service, it is something that remains a private matter.

Fifty-eight years today on June 6, 1944, Henderson was among the invasion force that landed in Normandy, France, as the Allies began the bloody task of pushing Hitlerís Nazis from power. This Wyoming man is among a great generation who deserves our endless thanks.

The 9000 American men and women buried near Normandy is a reminder to us all of the ultimate sacrifice that many made during World War II.

It is a different kind of war that we wage today in the attempt to stamp out international terrorism. In the days since September 11, the struggle has continued on the home front and in the mountains of Afghanistan.

The goal of these cowardly terrorists was perhaps twofold. From a plain and simple view, they wanted to kill Americans and anyone else who may be in the way.

Perhaps more of a goal was a desire to destroy our spirit as a nation.

They succeeded in claiming the lives of innocent people in New York, Washington and the countryside of Pennsylvania.

But break our spirit they did not.

The result of the September 11 attack has been a resurgence of patriotism and national unity that has brought this country together in ways that have not been seen since men like Bob Henderson fought in North Africa, Italy and France before breaking the back of Nazi Germany.

But there are some signs the unity has cracked in recent weeks.

It is now clear there were signs and clues that may have produced evidence of the September 11 attacks to come. If only the clues had been studied in greater detail, we wonder now.

It is far from certain the attacks could have been prevented, but some of the terrorists might have been stopped.

Federal agencies like the FBI now concede they should have done more with the evidence generated in Arizona and Minnesota last summer. The arrest in Minnesota is of particular concern because local FBI appeals for a search warrant of the suspectís laptop computer were denied for lack of probable cause.

While it is right to put the FBI under the microscope, the apparent push to make political hay out of this misstep is a weakening of our national unity.

We would expect more from the loyal opposition, but it is clear from many Democrats that the FBIís failure has been an open door to attack the Bush Administration.

ìWho knew what when?î That has been the question in Washington in recent weeks as the political arrows fly fast.

Could the FBI have done more? Certainly.

Could the Bush Administration been more active in reviewing information? Perhaps.

But it is ludicrous to imply that President Bush had information and did nothing as thousands of lives were about to be lost.

The moves by the FBI to restructure are signs the government realizes it slipped up and will take the steps necessary to make sure it wonít happen again. It is also clear federal agencies like the FBI and CIA need to do a better job of working together for the benefit of all.

The fact that America was ripe for an attack on U.S. soil is also evident in the fact federal agencies were lax in doing their jobs. The American public did not believe such an attack could be carried out here and it is likely federal agencies shared that belief.

No more.

Playing the blame game now accomplishes nothing, other than weakening our resolve and casting suspicion on our leaders. Questions from the loyal opposition deserve answers but not for political gain.

If Democrats are using this tact as a springboard back to power, they may be sadly mistaken.

This nation has come far in the 60 years or so since guys like Bob Henderson placed their lives on the line on the beaches of Normandy. Their cause was noble.

We still face that challenge in an international war against terrorism. The circumstances are different today but this nation faces a test of its commitment. We kept the faith in 1944 and 2002 should be no different.

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