Reporter’s Notebook: Remembering courage on the 81st anniversary of D-Day

I’ve covered many anniversaries of D-Day, and they never lose their power to move.

We were at the 81st anniversary at the stunning American cemetery in Normandy near Omaha Beach on Friday. American and other allied forces landed on that and other beaches, as well as parachuting from the skies, to go on to defeat Nazi Germany in World War II.

” America first’ hasn’t meant and doesn’t mean ‘America alone,’” he added. “Working with our allies and partners, there’s a lot we can accomplish now with gathering threats in the world.”

Still, some of those who saw action in Normandy and around the globe in World War II are not sure the message has gotten through.

Two centenarian combat veterans and native New Yorkers, brought to France by the Greatest Generations Foundation, have their own thoughts.

Flushing-born Ray Sweeney asked rhetorically, “What did we learn? I don’t think we learned much. We gave up a lot of bodies. We had a lot of bodies.”

And Brooklyn-born Harold Radish noted, “War is heroic in the movies. But in real life, it’s killing. It’s not getting along with somebody.”

Still, the crowds who came Friday to the now-peaceful French beaches were steady and large. A strong sign that sacrifices have been remembered. And maybe some lessons learned.