“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Those 13 words, spoken 67 years ago meant something. Those words meant a lot. They were words of comfort and of hope spoken to the nation 67 years ago.

With those 13 words, spoken to the nation by President Roosevelt 67 years ago, the United States launched, on June 6^th, 1944, the D-Day invasion and sent thousands of our troops into the most dangerous situation of their lives and our history.

That decision by Roosevelt was not, could not have been easy; and he, as well as the nation, knew that many of those being sent to those fateful beaches would never return.

Those in uniform knew that too.

Roosevelt also knew the beaches would just be the beginning and that of those who made it off those beaches, many more would be lost before the end of that war.

He knew it, we knew it and they knew it.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

We were at war against Hitler and Germany. We were at war with evil. That evil murdered more than 6 million Jews and had designs on world conquest.

This was an enemy of unholy forces.

Pure evil.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Our President on that day asked for God’s blessing.

With thy blessing…Our President, who would not live to see victory, asked God to see us through.

With thy blessing we shall prevail…Roosevelt did not say we HOPE to prevail or we MIGHT prevail, no…He said we WILL prevail but he knew we would NOT without God’s blessing.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

More than 400,000 Americans lost their lives in WWII fighting the unholy forces of evil in Europe and the Pacific. More than 400,000 were gone but we did, with God’s blessing, prevail, didn’t we?

It’s been 67 years since those words were spoken by a President and nearly that long since the end of WWII. Now, as time passes, fewer and fewer of those who did, with God’s blessing prevail and come home are left. We are losing a generation of heroes and we are losing them quickly.

Those who are still with us are old men now…some women too but they won’t be around much longer.

It took until 2004 before a Memorial to those who fought and died was put in its rightful place in Washington D.C. and for the past 7 years, those who were there, in Europe and in the Pacific, along with their families friends and other Patriots have gone there to visit, remember, and yes, they have gone there to pray.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Poppy Fowler is 87 years old now but he was there.

Poppy stood before a House Committee and told them that those 13 words should be added to that Memorial. Poppy said, “This prayer came at a perilous time, yet it was answered in victory at a dear cost of lives.”

Poppy was right and he knew what he was talking about.

Poppy was there and with God’s blessing…Poppy came home.

Poppy was there.

Yesterday at a House hearing, Robert Abbey, the Director of Land Management for the Obama administration said something that goes through every fiber of my being and I am sure, through every fiber of Poppy’s being too.

Abbey said that, a plaque or inscription of the prayer that Roosevelt read on a radio broadcast to the nation on June 6, 1944, would “dilute” the memorial’s central message.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Dilute the Memorial’s central message?

Is that message not that we, as a nation, sent our bravest and best to fight, die and eventually…Prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy?

Is not the central message of the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. that we must remember so that it will never happen again? That we should honor those who fought those unholy forces of our enemies? That we should honor those who died and honor those who, with God’s blessings, came back home?

How exactly can those 13 words dilute the central message of that Memorial?

How?

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Those words do NOTHING whatsoever to dilute that Memorial’s message. NOTHING.

Robert Abbey doesn’t want that message diluted, he wants that message forgotten. Abbey speaks for his administration on this matter. He wants that message forgotten.

This administration wants that central message of honor, loss, victory and God erased and in doing so, the honor and heroism of those who fought and died would vanish too.

Poppy’s heroism would not be a part of the central message of that Memorial either.

Poppy was there.

Poppy is still here.

I know that Poppy isn’t alone and that many, many others know, as Poppy does, that those words, all 13 of them, BELONG on that Memorial.

Niether Abbey nor the administration has the right nor the business to tell Poppy no on this one.

This administration has no right, NONE, to dilute the sacrifices of more than 400,000 who didn’t come home.

This administration has NO right, NONE, to dilute the sacrifices of those who DID come home and NO RIGHT to dilute what ALL their families gave up.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Those words BELONG on the WWII Memorial.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Those words belong there and in the hearts and minds of those who visit that Memorial.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Those words were spoken by the President 67 years ago.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Those words belong to Poppy Fowler today.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”

Those words should be carved in stone for ALL Americans and for ALL time and someone needs to explain them to this administration, what they meant then and what they mean now to those who remember them from 67 years ago.

When we walk into a voting booth a year from now…WE must remember those words too.

“With thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.”