Invite royal war vet to D-Day anniversary

Smiling shyly standing next to her British army lorry in World War II uniform, young Elizabeth Windsor, daughter of the king, service #230873, poses for a picture. A volunteer enlistment, she drove the truck and trained as a truck mechanic. Today, age 83, she is Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the only European country to defy Hitler in World War II and the only living head of state to serve in uniform in that war.

On June 6, President Obama and French President Sarkozy will commemorate the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy. Queen Elizabeth won't be there. She wasn't invited.

Accusations are flying as to how this blunder occurred and who is to blame. The queen, a palace spokesman says, would have liked to attend.

Sarkozy is the host for the commemoration. Why didn't he invite the queen? No comment other than a French source saying that the commemoration was "primarily a Franco-American ceremony." Sarkozy should be reminded that the liberation of France from German occupation and French collaboration was "primarily an Anglo-American" invasion which cost more than 37,000 allied lives.

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Prime Minister Brown, however, was invited. His government now says that only every 10-year observation of D-Day merits the queen's attendance. British veteran groups have asked the Brown government to give more emphasis to this year's commemoration since few of them will be around for the 70th anniversary.

Which brings us to President Obama, widely recognized as the first Anglophobe U.S. President since Madison fled the British troops burning the White House in the War of 1812.

Breaking with a tradition that past commemorations of D-Day were open to the public, President Obama has asked that the cemetery where the commemoration will be held be closed to all but invited guests. At the 60th anniversary, President Bush was seen in line with the public to use the port-o-potty. But I digress.

Son of a Kenyan anti-colonialist who hated British rule in Kenya, Obama has gone out of his way to disrespect the British and ignore the "special relationship" with Britain that presidents since FDR have relied on. Obama has shown his disdain by giving back a British gift of a bust of Churchill and by ignoring protocol during visits with the PM and with the queen, and in giving both of them trivial gifts.

In an increasingly dangerous world, Obama bows to the king of our Saudi "friends," but risks our closest ally to honor his father's grudge.

On Sept. 12, 2001, Prime Minister Tony Blair stood side-by-side with President Bush in declaring a war on terror, forming the core of the "coalition of the willing" and bringing to mind the dark days of World War II when only Britain and the U.S. stood together against the axis powers of Nazi Germany, fascist Italy, and imperial Japan.

To some whose comments grace the blogosphere, the queen is just "some old white woman," irrelevant, a relic. The whole thing a "tempest in a teapot" by the British tabloids ever hungry to sensationalize the trivial. Who cares about ancient history anyway?

To the veterans of the D-Day invasion and the liberation of Europe, it was, as Churchill predicted, their "finest hour." Indeed, Western civilization's finest hour. The 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings honors the courage and sacrifice of the liberators.

It would be fitting if subaltern Elizabeth Windsor of the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service were there.

Please send your own "Thanks for your service" message to:

Her Majesty the Queen
Buckingham Palace
London SW1A 1AA