By Mike Fichter

Not too many years ago, just after purchasing a new home, my wife and I engaged in the typical pre move-in ritual of cleaning the empty home before moving all of our stuff in.  Much to my surprise, in a dim nook beneath the basement stairs, I found a small jar of sand with a screw-on lid and tiny little label authenticating it as sand taken from Omaha Beach.

For those who know history, Omaha Beach was one of the landing areas of the Normandy Invasion in World War II.  American troops suffered a reported 4,700 casualties at Omaha Beach.  Company A of the 116th Regiment, U.S. 29th Infantry Division, suffered a heartbreaking 96% casualty rate. The men at Omaha Beach knew the stakes were high, and many knew they would never live to see the result of their efforts.  But they did their duty for their loved ones, their flag, and for generations yet to be born.  It was the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany.

And here I was in a dark under-the-stairs storage room holding a jar of that sacred spot in my hands.  It all gets me to thinking how much has been sacrificed for America to remain America, and just how easy it is to forget.

On November 3, we’re not just voting for who fills what seat at the Statehouse or in Congress.

We’re not voting as a signal to which attack ads are the most effective.

We’re not voting for what’s cool, or trending, or popular.

We’re not voting to appease the parties or the Hollywood elite.

God forbid that we vote for how much money we get out of the deal.

No, we’re voting for who we are as a people.

We’re voting to decide whether we still care about the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We’re voting to decide if the same socialism we’ve fought wars to defeat will now become our ruling philosophy.

We’re voting to decide if history, sacrifice and honor are merely forgotten bywords of a time now passed.

We’re voting for the soul of America.

And we’re voting for those who never made it back from Omaha Beach.

Please vote—and pray — on November 3.