Yesterday was the 82nd anniversary of D-Day. I spent some time in class on Friday in all my AP classes reviewing its significance. I believe strongly it is one of the seminal events in American history that all Americans need to know about (my APUSH classes are just at WW II as the year is ending). I also briefly mentioned the fact that Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenthower had prepared two letters to share with the press that day, depending on how the invasion went. The one he didn’t have to read was the one taking full responsibility for the failure of the operation. As my students heard about this it was clear they understood this sort of leadership is very different from what they see today.

Yesterday, Heather Cox Richardson, the great historian and documenter of our times, shared the video below, which touches on Eisenhower’s willingness to take responsibility had D-Day not been successful. It is short but worth watching.

YouTube Video