The 80th Anniversary of D-Day, a poignant moment to honor our heroic men, was sidetracked by ‘The View’ at ABC. Instead of focusing on their brave efforts on Normandy’s beaches, the spotlight was angled towards speculations around former President Trump’s revival in the next election. It was topped with an unforeseen lecture on the importance of World War II history by Whoopi Goldberg, the show’s moderator.
Joy Behar, the co-host, shared a touching incident from her visit to Normandy. Her tour guide, a French national, aptly pointed out the significant role the US had played during the war – saving not only France but the world. However, Behar’s patriotic admiration quickly turned into an anti-Trump diatribe, clouding the gravity of Normandy’s sacrifice with unnecessary political comments. She threw around claims about the former president, criticisms intensified with alleged words from Trump’s former Chief of Staff, John Kelly.
Trump, notably disputed any dishonorable comments made about U.S. service members. Yet, Behar took no pause,racing on with her speech heavy with political unrest rather than the respect suited for D-Day’s memorable occasion. She implored the audience to remember how invaluable freedom is and to be careful not to lose it.
Goldberg expressed her opinion about the younger generation’s knowledge of history and lamented about the necessity to reaffirm major historical events like World War II. It’s ironic that Goldberg found it prudent to remind everyone about one’s duty to history since she, in 2022, professed that the Holocaust was not based on race, inaccurately boiling it down to a conflict between “two groups of white people.”
Boldly enough, during a tribute to the very heroes who fought against the inhumanity personified by the Holocaust, Goldberg committed the sin of oversimplifying a critical part of history. The emphasis should have been placed on the bravery of those who stormed the Normandy beaches, not to besmirch history with inaccuracies.
The segment concluded with an appeal to the public to educate themselves about the sacrifices of World War II. However, the opportunity to reflect on the valor of our nation’s heroes was missed, overshadowed by channeling political angst. Such key moments in our nation’s history deserve undiluted attention and respect.
The chaos of political theaters shouldn’t steal the limelight from such occasions. These honorable men and boys of D-Day sacrificed their lives to provide us the freedom we enjoy today. The key takeaway in any conversation about D-Day should be gratitude for their sacrifices, not to serve as fodder for fueling political disputes. We owe these heroes that much, at the very least.
