World War II is nearly 70 years in the past. The young American men and women who saved our nation and the world are now old. Many have since passed away. There are fewer and fewer of them remaining to instruct us in the importance of personal sacrifice, of heroism in the fight to preserve freedom.
But two Derry residents who fought in World War II have been in the news recently. Walter Borowski and Milton Christian remind us of the extraordinary contributions made in the cause of liberty by perfectly ordinary citizens — residents of our community who have lived side by side with us for years.
On D-Day, June 6, 1944, Walter Borowski landed with the Army Rangers in Normandy. Their mission: Scale the 100-foot cliffs at Pointe du Hoc and take out the German gun emplacements that threatened the American landings at Omaha and Utah beaches.
Borowski and his fellow Rangers scaled the cliffs using ropes, grapples and ladders, all while under enemy fire. Of the 225 Rangers who began the assault, just 90 remained standing at the end of the battle.
For his heroism, Borowski received two Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and a Presidential Citation.
Today, for his bravery and his service helping the French people, Borowski is scheduled to receive France's highest military award, the Legion of Honor. The Council-General of France will present the award to Borowski with Gov. John Lynch, state and local dignitaries in attendance at the Derry Municipal Center.
Another Derry veteran recently received a long overdue honor.
Milton Christian, 84, received the Bronze Star Medal from Sen. Jeanne Shaheen Monday in a special ceremony at the Derry Municipal Center.
"After 64 years, today Milton Christian will finally receive the full honor and recognition he has earned and deserved," Shaheen said.
Christian was a student at the University of New Hampshire when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served from 1943 to 1946 as a member of the 29th Infantry Division, seeing action in the Netherlands, France and Germany.
Christian was wounded in an explosion in the Battle of Brest in France, and was previously awarded the Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, European-African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with four bronze campaign stars, and numerous other honors and medals.
He was eligible for the Bronze Star Medal, but never received the award.
It is particularly striking that these local heroes went on to live ordinary, modest lives after their wartime accomplishments.
Borowski returned to Derry after the war, seeking nothing more than a place to call his own. He built a house across the street from where he grew up, raised a family and participated in the civic life of his community.
"Derry was my hometown," Borowski said in an earlier interview. "All I wanted was a little place, to find a little piece of property, and build a fence and do my own thing."
Christian likewise returned home to raise his family. Joining him at the medal ceremony were his wife, his seven children and his grandchildren.
Listening to these men tell their stories, one might think that their heroics were little more than a day at the office.
"We were just a bunch of guys doing a job for our squad," Christian said at the ceremony. "We stuck together. This is for me and for all the people who served with me."
This modesty is not false. It reflects the character of these men and the times in which they lived.
To Borowski, Christian and others of their generation, it may have been "just a job." For us today, it was a heroic sacrifice and commitment to freedom for which the nation, and indeed, the world, remains forever grateful.
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