D.A.

Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Forces:

You are about to embark upon the Great Crusade, toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you. In company with our brave Allies and brothers-in-arms on other Fronts you will bring about the destruction of the German war machine, the elimination of Nazi tyranny over oppressed peoples of Europe, and security for ourselves in a free world.

Your task will not be an easy one. Your enemy is well trained, well equipped and battle-hardened. He will fight savagely.

But this is the year 1944. Much has happened since the Nazi triumphs of 1940-41. The United Nations have inflicted upon the Germans great defeats, in open battle, man-to-man. Our air offensive has seriously reduced their strength in the air and their capacity to wage war on the ground. Our Home Fronts have given us an overwhelming superiority in weapons and munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide has turned. The free men of the world are marching together to victory.

I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty, and skill in battle. We will accept nothing less than full victory.

Good Luck! And let us all beseech the blessing of Almighty God upon this great and noble undertaking.

General Eisenhower knew how to embolden the men and women under his command as they embarked on one of the greatest invasion the world had ever seen.

Our company, along with a dozen other units, were ordered to the main chow hall at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. It was mid March in 2003 and the ground war was well underway. We knew we were going up north soon because they served us steaks and crab legs for dinner that night. Feeding us good food usually means death’s around the corner.

“Room! At ease!” Someone yelled from the back of the chow hall. We all ended our conversations and sat silently in our chairs as this grizzly looking Sargeant Major stomped his way to the front.

With microphone in hand, his steely eyes scanned the room before speaking. We were all on edge with anticipation.

“Soon you all will be heading to WAR, and I want everyone here to remember one thing. Don’t be a ‘D’ ‘A’! ”

We all looked at each other puzzled.

“A DUMBASS! I don’t want to see any of you guys driving around without seatbelts on, unshaven, with do-rags on your heads!”

Clearly this wasn’t Henry V, Act III here.

I don’t recall the rest of his speech, which surely won’t be documented and stored in the Library of Congress for our ancestors. I was more concern with his focus on vehicular safety and proper grooming, rather than actual advice or some anecdote about overcoming fear in the face of danger.

If anything I still remember the Sargeant Major’s wise words until this day. I often mummer to myself as pull away from work in my car,”Put your seatbelt on, dumbass.”