Thank you for reprinting The Baltimore Sun of June 6, 1944 (“Retro Baltimore: How D-Day was covered in the Sunpapers,” June 6). I have no personal recollection of World War II, but I’ve watched hours of documentary material and have read hundreds of reports of that dreadful time.
As a student of military history and warrior cultures — the norm for millennia — I worry about the current attacks on “toxic masculinity.” After all, it was brutal aggression, male bonding and self-sacrifice that made the assault on the coast of Normandy possible.
When I study details of the landing and put myself in the boots of the guys ordered ashore, I’m astounded by their bravery. I doubt I would have dipped my toe into the cold Atlantic under those circumstances. Seventy-five years ago, the Allies launched one of the largest amphibious assaults in history with over 24,000 troops wading or swimming ashore under horrendous enemy fire. Would that be possible today?
We believe there’s no longer need for warriors. With few exceptions, that way of life is over. The draft and basic training for all American men is a thing of the past. Today’s culture strives to domesticate the male population. That’s all well and good, but it’s also dangerous. What would happen if once again we needed “boots on the ground” to fight and die for all we hold dear?
Roz Nester Heid, Baltimore
