Roger Marsh: Welcome back to Family Talk. I'm Roger Marsh. Perhaps your kids are on summer break right now, or maybe even last weekend you fired up the barbecue for the recent Memorial Day holiday. Well, as you know, today is another significant day of remembrance. It's the 79th anniversary of D-Day. On this day, we remember all of the American heroes who bravely fought on the shores of Normandy, France as the allies pierced the Nazis so-called Atlantic Wall once and for all. D-Day is the shortening of Disembarkation Day. It was called as such because over 156,000 troops arrived either by sea or air and landed into the battle zone beginning on that day. The intense battle resulted in 106,000 of our US soldiers being wounded and 29,000 US soldiers losing their lives in the fight against a tyrannical evil on the beaches of Normandy.
All of us here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute want to honor their memory by sharing the story of their unimaginable sacrifice. Now in this special program, we are rejoined by today's co-host Gary Bauer and his guest Tom Rose. We'll hear their discussion about why we need to share the history of America with our children. This is part two of their conversation that began on yesterday's program. Gary Bauer is the senior Vice President of public policy here at the Dr. James Dobson Family Institute. He's also the host of the Defending Faith Family and Freedom Podcast. Here now is Gary Bauer to introduce his good friend and colleague Tom Rose, right here on this special edition of Family Talk.
Gary Bauer: Yesterday we had an incredible conversation with my guest Tom Rose, who is a longtime friend, an advisor to the former Vice President of the United States, the former editor of the Jerusalem Post. A guy that knows more about history than I'll ever know and has a photographic memory. Tom, I'm glad you're on the show because you can clean up some of the mess I periodically make on some of these quotes. But what we've been talking about and why we're so glad that you have tuned in is that American children, our own children and our grandchildren, we have to know what came before. If we don't know about the sacrifices that have been made for our liberty, we disrespect those previous generations. And if we don't know enough to preserve our own liberty, we are going to condemn our own children and grandchildren to lesser lives.
All of our children ought to know what happened at Constitution Hall and at Concord Bridge, who said "Give me liberty or give me death." And who said, "I have a dream." They ought to know what happened at the beaches of Normandy. They ought to know about Jonathan and David and Ruth and Naomi. In short, we can't count on somebody else doing it. We need to teach them to love the things we love and to honor the things we honor because nothing less will do.
Now, yesterday we talked about D-Day, the beginning of the liberation of Europe, the sacrifices that were made by thousands of men on those beaches. And of course when we liberated Europe, Tom, as you certainly know, we put an end to the Holocaust. There were still people in denial about what was happening in the death camps all across Europe. But the liberation left no doubt about it. In fact, Eisenhower ordered that at the death camps that they film what they saw, the horror there because it was so inhumane. It was so beyond human understanding that he believed in the future, people would deny it happened. They would say it couldn't possibly happen. Well, Tom, we've got evidence that our children don't know about the Holocaust period. Not only children here, but the children of Western Europe in many cases have forgotten that horror of what the lessons of that are.
Tom Rose: It was remarkable. First of all, it's an honor and a real privilege to join you, Gary and everybody at the Dobson Center on this most sacred of days. If not for them, where would we be? If not for them, where would our children be? We owe them everything. You mentioned Eisenhower's visit to Dachau shortly after the liberation. It was remarkable because of course Eisenhower was conducting the greatest military operation in history. And I think it was before the surrender, American forces had liberated the town of Ohdruff. I don't know whether I'm pronouncing that correctly or not. There was a concentration camp there.
Wasn't actually, quote unquote, a death camp, it was just a concentration camp. Now, the Nazis had over 1,000 of these. We know very few names, but there were 1,000 of them. He walked through, became physically ill and issued a Marshall order that every civilian in the town had to visit and walk through that camp because he had a premonition. He knew a lot about human nature, that at some point it would either be totally forgotten, or worse, more maliciously even denied. And his prophecy unfortunately has come to pass in too many instances and in too many ways.
Gary Bauer: Tom, as an American Jew that had to be incredibly moving for you. You also recently took part in the ceremony or the anniversary of the modern founding of the nation of Israel, which of course is possible, that founding is possible because of the liberation of Europe by the United States. As you know Tom, many evangelicals believe that the founding of the modern state of Israel is in fact the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. And I believe with all my heart that Judeo-Christian civilization or what we call western civilization, which has brought more liberty to more people than any system of government in the world, that the two pillars of that civilization are the United States and Israel. As an American Jew, but also as somebody that has lived in Israel and has experienced what it's like to be surrounded by your enemies, how do you look at all this and the partnership of Israel and the United States?
Tom Rose: These are the two countries in the world that have been founded, not on ethnic lines or geographic lines, but on moral lines. The United States of America was established for purposes of principle. And the state of Israel as well, was established on the basis of principle, namely Jewish sovereignty and having a home for the Jewish people. There are no two countries that are closer in foundational principles and origins than the United States and the state of Israel, which is I think why the two countries are so intimately entwined, so terribly close.
You had mentioned the biblical impetus for the recreation of the state of Israel. And as Jews we pray three times a day. And in one of our prayers, we thank God for, not simply the reestablishment of the state of Israel, but as we would say, the English translation would be the manifestation of the approach of our redemption in the redemption of all mankind. And that we are drawn and compelled to revere and venerate your name, namely God's name, to draw our hearts together and to observe all the precepts of the Bible. And just as the United States was founded on religious principles, the state of Israel was founded on religious principles derived from the same sources, namely the Bible.
Gary Bauer: Tom, you know a lot more about Israel obviously than I do, but I don't have a sense that the young people of Israel are confused about the history of their nation and what it signifies and the sacrifices that have had to be made all those decades without a homeland and then restored to that homeland. And so I'm hoping that that Israel can teach the United States something, and that Israeli parents can teach American parents something about how imperative it is that we make sure our children understand that they are citizens of a great nation, not a flawless nation, not a nation that has never made mistakes. Of course it's made mistakes, but the question is always compared to whom.
And when you look at American history, from the very beginning when our founding fathers looking to the Bible came up with the principles of the American founding, and then in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, put the keywords that define America, and I believe in their own way also define Israel. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among these the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That's the central idea of America. Tom, I've spoken in hundreds of US schools going all the way back to the year 2000. I started asking American high school juniors and seniors if they could finish the sentence, we hold these truths to be self-evident. I told them I would give them $20 to the first student that could finish that sentence. And in hundreds of visits I gave away maybe two or three $20 bills. I would've preferred to have gone bankrupt giving away $20 bills.
It is a national sin that our children don't know those words. So I want to keep coming back to this and I apologize to our listeners if it's repetitive, but I was told if something's important, like telling your spouse you love them, you should say it over and over again. Well, I want to say it again. We must teach our children and our grandchildren the great story of America, warts and all, and we must prepare them to defend America against forces from abroad, but forces right here in the United States that are trying to take God out of the American founding, trying to take all of the rich history of how God has blessed our country. In fact, Tom, we were talking about this the other day. They're labeling people that love Jesus and love America and making them sound like that's some sort of alien fearful thing that other Americans should be afraid of. This is absurd, but it's happening all the time. We've talked about this recently, it's really an amazing and disturbing thing to see.
Tom Rose: Conservatives, I don't know why, but conservatives are mocked by big media, by the establishment culture when, God forbid, after one of these horrific mass shootings we call for thoughts and prayers, we're mocked for that. We're ridiculed for that. Well, the truth is that thoughts and prayers are the surest way back to a healthier society. They point the way to strengthening your family. They point the way to strengthening your community. They can lead a person to discover a sense of purpose that was almost taken for granted here. We've spent a lot of time, Gary, you and I talking about D-Day these past few days.
On D-Day, after the first of the beach heads had been established. President Roosevelt went on the radio and delivered I think the most powerful speech of his 12 and a half year presidency. And it was a D-Day prayer, written in biblical verse by the President's own hand. And deep into the prayer he made a comment. He said something, that many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of special prayer. And he said, "Because the road is going to be long and the desire great, rather than a special day of prayer, I ask that all of our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer as we rise to do the tasks of each day and every day. When the day is over, the day is spent. Let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking thy help to strengthen our efforts."
Roger Marsh: You're listening to Family Talk and I'm Roger Marsh. Jumping in for a brief moment here. If you just tuned in, you're listening to a special edition of The Family Talk broadcast with today's co-host Gary Bauer and his special guest Tom Rose. They're discussing D-Day and why it's important for our young people to be well-versed in American history, especially from this monumental event. Today is the 79th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy, France, which tipped the scales for victory against tyranny. Let's rejoin them right now, right here on Family Talk.
Gary Bauer: Back in 2000 I was in a presidential debate and we were asked who was the individual that had had the greatest influence on our lives and both George W. Bush and I said, "Jesus Christ." And before the debate was over, there were like 15 national organizations that had issued press releases condemning us for our divisive rhetoric. So apparently we were supposed to lie about who had had the greatest influence on our life. So I'm kind of chuckling about it a little bit, but actually it's a very serious thing because one of the reasons we have to be sure that on this time and as we're talking about American history and the terrible history of the Holocaust and the founding of the modern nation of Israel, it's important to tell our children about the faith basis of our two countries and about what the American founders felt about where liberty came from.
It wasn't from government. Your liberty doesn't come from five magic votes on the Supreme Court or a President. That's the same political party as you or a majority in the House and Senate that's a majority that you identify with. Those are passing things. Sometimes you'll be pleased with that makeup of the Congress or who's president, sometimes you won't. Your liberty, our liberty comes from God. That is the most important point of the American founding. Tom, when I run into people all the time, young people, they're depressed. They think they live in a terrible place. I mean, this is a national tragedy. You know, my friends, if your son or daughter came home from school and told you that somebody had stolen their lunch, you would really be angry, particularly if they kept doing it.
You probably would march down to the school and say, "Hey, I packed that lunch for my kid. You can't take his lunch." Well, what's happening in so many of our schools is much worse than your child's lunch being stolen. Their heritage is being stolen. The knowledge of the heroes and heroines on whose shoulders they sit is being stolen. So this is why Dr. Dobson and the James Dobson Family Institute so much want you to be an involved parent. You need to be involved at the dinner table, bringing up the subjects we've been discussing yesterday and today. And you need to be involved at the school board meeting bringing up these subjects.
Every child in America, no matter what their race, what their background, whether they're rich or poor, they need to be taught about the rich history of the nation that has been given to them by God. I think you'd agree with this, Tom. If all the places in the world you could be born, being born in America or being born in Israel is one of the greatest blessings that God could give a child. And God knows where you were born. So we were given this great gift and thus we have an obligation to defend that gift by making sure our children and grandchildren understand the great gift that they've been given.
Tom Rose: John Adams, in one of his famous letters to Thomas Jefferson, wrote famously, our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It's wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Notice how he didn't say our constitution was made only for a moral and thoughtful people, a moral and righteous people. He said religious people. He knew then, like everybody did frankly, what we should know now. And that is that our whole glorious experience rested then and rests today on God. It still does, now more than ever.
Gary Bauer: Well, Tom, this has been fantastic. I am so appreciative that you spent yesterday and today with us here at Family Talk, and we'll definitely have you back. Folks, again, I want to emphasize this is the 79th anniversary of D-Day of the Liberation of Europe. A dark age had descended over Europe and we brought liberty back to the European people. D-Day, it's almost impossible to imagine today that the mammoth effort that had to be made, 7,000 naval vessels involved in the effort, 160,000 men poured out on that beach during those grueling hours and in those opening hours, the survival rate of those men was terrible, was horrible. And yet they bravely kept leaving those ships.
I mentioned when I was with you yesterday, what it felt like the walk among the crosses and stars of David at the cemetery there in Normandy, and the emotion that I felt of 46 sets of brothers lie there in that cemetery. Families that had to be told not one, but two of their sons had been lost, unimaginable sacrifices, and yet it was done for us. So today, remember those men, some of them, for some of you, they may have been in your family, a grandfather, an uncle, somebody else that maybe you're in danger of forgetting. Tell your children and grandchildren about these American heroes. And Tom, as we close this show, and again, I want to thank you, we've got just a minute or so left. Is there a final quick thought you would like to share with us?
Tom Rose: First of all, it's been a tremendous honor and a real privilege to be with you all today and to listen to Gary and simply to be part of the Dobson network. It's got to be education. It's education from first to last. There's an argument about who did more. Was it Noah who cast aside everything about him to focus on his task of building the arc? Or was it Abraham who sat with each child and taught each child? Knowledge isn't cumulative. As we said, if we don't teach our kids everything will be lost. That's the first and primary lesson to fulfilling an educated citizenry, which I think we need to perpetuate the greatest governing experience in the history of Man.
Gary Bauer: Well said, Tom. Well, friends, thank you for being with us. I'm Gary Bauer and with the Dobson Policy Center, God bless you. See you again soon.
Roger Marsh: Well, those men certainly were brave soldiers and true American heroes. You just heard the conclusion of a compelling two-part conversation featuring co-host Gary Bauer and his special guest Tom Rose right here on Family Talk. If you missed any part of this discussion, just visit drjamesdobson.org/familytalk and you'll be able to hear both parts in their entirety. And by the way, while you're on our website, you may also enjoy listening to the Defending Faith Family and Freedom Podcast with Gary Bauer. Just visit DrJamesdobson.org, then select the podcast image on our homepage. From there, simply choose your favorite podcast platform or select a previous episode to begin listening. Friends, if you enjoy Family Talk and you have been blessed by our ministry, please consider supporting us with a financial contribution. The Dr. James Dobson Family Institute is completely listener supported. It's because of you and your prayers and faithful financial support that we're able to bring you quality content and resources each and every day.
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