About 345 days ago I was standing in the water at Omaha Beach at low tide. Staring at what seemed to be miles of sand between me and the solid ground where I would have been able to start to find cover if I had been an 18-year-old Infantryman that had just made the crossing of the English Channel. It was infinitesimally far and I have never felt more exposed.
More humbled.
More thankful.
I admittedly am one of those nerds who reads just about every book I can get my hands on that equates military strategic thinking, tactical planning and cross functional team building I can get my hands on. There is just so much we can learn and bring into our ability to execute when lives are not on the lines.
But walking the National Cemetery at Normandy and standing in the surf at Omaha Beach made me truly comprehend that sometimes, when things are truly at a tipping point and all the odds are stacked against you….
You are going to have to risk sacrificing nearly everything to turn the war.
We did not come out of D-day ‘victorious’ due to some strategic wizardry.
We had literally no tactical advantage.
We did have tens of thousands of members of The Greatest Generation that were willing to sacrifice everything to turn the tide.
To rid the world of evil.
And I cannot, and have not, thanked them enough.
While I sincerely hope that the vast majority of those whom this post may reach will never be in a life-or-death situation, the lesson to me is clear.
Bravery wins.
And it only takes a decision to be brave.