Context and Calling: Reflections on Independence Day and Normandy’s Legacy
As I write this, I’m in one country of red, white, and blue 🇫🇷, thinking of another country about to celebrate the red, white, and blue 🇺🇸… my country, for which I’m grateful.
By the time you read this, the barbecue grills will have cooled, hot dog eating contests weighed, small town parades walked, and fireworks watched.
If you are a fellow American, I hope you had a great Independence Day. I hope you are enjoying a day off, making this an extra-long weekend to spend time with family and friends and reflect on the freedoms you enjoy and the costs that have been counted.
While we are spending the summer here in France, I just had the opportunity to visit the beaches of Normandy on the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landing in June 1944.
Heather and I spent time with our girls on Omaha Beach. What a beautiful place.
Vast stretches of sand. Turquoise water. Verdant hills with scattered pockets of grey that look like stones at a distance but emerge as bunkers and pill boxes as one gets closer.
Above: The vast stretches of sand at Omaha Beach between the waves and the green hills of Normandy.
I’ve seen Saving Private Ryan and probably a half-dozen other films or documentaries about that fateful day. Still, I found it difficult to imagine the scale of the whole endeavor – nearly 160,000 mostly young men from 12 nations landing on these beaches, with 50,000 German young men trying to repel them.
We climbed the hill to a point about 100 feet above the sea and came across a monument with thousands of names. Looking at it, I couldn’t help but notice several names in gold lettering. The monument indicated these were Medal of Honor winners.
One name in particular stood out to me – John J. Pinder Jr.
A quick search on my phone revealed the following story. Warning: This might be difficult for some to read.
On D-day, Technician 5th Grade Pinder landed on the coast 100 yards off shore under devastating enemy machinegun and artillery fire which caused severe casualties among the boatload. Carrying a vitally important radio, he struggled towards shore in waist-deep water.
Only a few yards from his craft he was hit by enemy fire and was gravely wounded. Technician 5th Grade Pinder never stopped. He made shore and delivered the radio. Refusing to take cover afforded, or to accept medical attention for his wounds, Technician 5th Grade Pinder, though terribly weakened by loss of blood and in fierce pain, on three occasions went into the fire-swept surf to salvage communication equipment. He recovered many vital parts and equipment, including another workable radio.
On the 3rd trip he was again hit, suffering machinegun bullet wounds in the legs.
Still this valiant soldier would not stop for rest or medical attention. Remaining exposed to heavy enemy fire, growing steadily weaker, he aided in establishing the vital radio communication on the beach.
John J. Pinder Jr. (June 6, 1912 – June 6, 1944)
– Medal of Honor awarded for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, near Colleville-sur-Mer, France. (Link)
Born June 6, 1912.
Died June 6, 1944.
D-Day was his birthday.
Above: John J. Pinder Jr. was awarded the Medal of Honor for giving his life to help his fellow soldiers on D-Day.
John Pinder gave his life for you, and for me, and for the people of Europe. For a set of ideals that he believed in.
Your Context and Calling
We are all born at a time in history. In a place. To a people.
We all live in a specific context.
We all have things happen to us, many of which are out of our control.
These things shape who we are. Who we are called to be.
Among other things, my father was a veteran – he was drafted during the Vietnam War. I’ve not been asked to face the horrors of war head-on. But I’ve been placed in a time in history when technology is reshaping society. When there are people who are being trafficked and starving and in need. I’ve been given gifts – my mind, relationships, resources, access, and I’m not going to take those for granted.
What are you going to do with the context you’ve been given? What set of ideals do you believe in that are worth fighting for?
Above: Almost 80 years to the day, we remember those who fought for a set of ideals alongside young men and women from many different nations.
💡 Takeaway: We are all on a journey of understanding who we were made to be, the context we’ve been placed in, and learning what faithfulness looks like as we live in that intersection.
Have a great Independence Day weekend.
Until next week… Surfs Up! 🌊
- Dave
About the Author | Dave Raley
Consultant, speaker, and writer Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps non-profits and businesses create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of a weekly trendspotting report called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands.
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