Over the past few days I’ve been visiting the sites where on D-Day, June 6, 1944, Allied forces landed in German-occupied Normandy—a crucial step in ending Nazi Germany’s tyranny over France and Europe.

These sites are, of course, deeply moving. One can’t but stand in awe at what Allied military forces were asked to do on D-Day, and in awe at the courage with which they responded. One also can’t but be deeply sobered by the scale of suffering and loss for soldiers and civilians.

I was moved too by a visit to one of the German cemeteries, whose very presence is a reminder that the enemy of those days, the German soldiers, were also human beings, with parents, wives, girlfriends, and children who grieved when they died. What especially caught my attention was a  statement by Germany’s Cemetery Commission which frankly admitted that the war had been launched by the Nazis. The war had led to the deaths of millions, it acknowledged, and was the prerequisite “for crimes without precedent, including the mass annihilation of European Jews.”

The statement went on: “The question of personal responsibility and guilt in periods of dictatorship and war must be faced. Arbitrary accusation of guilt should not be permitted. Most fought in the belief that they were fulfilling their national duty. Many were guilty, others could withdraw, a few dared to oppose.”

There is a lot to ponder here, as the author wrestles with a complicated memory of the realities of war. The statement says personal responsibility cannot be evaded in times of war and dictatorship; indeed, “many were guilty.” But neither can guilt always be easily assessed, for it seems we should respect those who fought out of a sense of “national duty.” Or is the point that a sense of duty is not always trustworthy? Or are both points true?  

The statement started me thinking about the purpose of visiting battle sites and keeping memories of war alive. Surely it is right to honor the dead and their sacrifice, and right to remember examples of courage and compassion. Do our memories also help us see the complicated truth about ourselves and our responsibilities? Or are we tempted to avoid such questions?

Surely the Christian reason for remembering war is this: to deepen our knowledge of war and its horrors, to deepen our sense of humanity, and to strengthen our efforts to “pursue the things that make for peace” (Romans 14:19).

See you in church,

Pastor David