Veterans Day: Freedom is Never Free

By James Banakis

November 11, 2025

Freedom is the possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it.

                                            -Pericles

Little boys don’t play with toy soldiers anymore.  Maybe that’s a good thing. I only know that growing up the other half of our playtime not involving sports, was taken up playing “army.”  The boys in our neighborhood, spent summer days dressing up in our father’s cast aside army gear. We supplemented it with army surplus from Stark’s Army Surplus Warehouse on South Harlem Ave. Nobody wanted to be the bad guys, so we just imagined them out there, lots of them.  Since we were cold war kids, we called the enemy “dirty Reds,” just like in the gory comic books we handed off to each other. In our own way we revered soldiers. They were our heroes not unlike Nellie Fox and Ernie Banks. At night we’d set up, and play with those little green plastic soldiers, and the following day we’d personally reenact outdoors the carnage we inflicted on the little green men the night before.

Each Memorial Day, we’d sit on the curb in front of Scoville Park, site of the Oak Park River Forest War Memorial commemorating 100 years this Veterans Day.  We’d cheer for the veterans marching in the annual parade. First were the WWII survivors, still vital and vigorously marching, our father’s generation.

Next the First World War guys, our grandfather’s generation some with walking sticks and canes, but reaching back and giving it their all. Lastly were the 4 or 5 survivors from the Spanish American War. They received the biggest hand, but we knew their days were numbered. Heroes all, and today they’re all gone, but I still remember.

The primary reason I remember was  because of what happened on a day in early June of 1998. We were on a trip to France. On all the trips I’ve made I always try to meld historical sites with restaurants and relaxation. On this one, I placed Normandy and the D-Day sites on our itinerary. When we arrived at Omaha Beach it was windy with a light rain. The temperature was about 50 degrees. I recognized the conditions were like June 6th 1944.

When my wife and the other 3 American couples opted to avoid the bad weather and have coffee and pastries in a café, I headed down the bluffs alone and on to the beach, the only human in sight. With the deafening roar of the Atlantic to my right.  The steep sloped muted green and beige, long grass dunes were on my left. The light misty rain was now horizonal in my face. Like many great battlefields I’ve toured, this beach, so majestic in natural beauty, made it difficult to imagine a great deadly, chaotic battle where I walked. That is until I saw the cliffs in the distance, Pointe du Hoc. Sheer cliffs 110 feet straight up then heavily fortified which were scaled on D-Day by American Rangers. Cold and wet myself at this point I tried to imagine the bravery of those heroes. Climbing the impossible wet rock while being shot at from above. I recalled President Reagan’s timeless speech at the top of those cliffs on the 40th anniversary of that day.

We stand on a lonely, windswept point on the northern shore of France. The air is soft, but 40 years ago at this moment, the air was dense with smoke and the cries of men, and the air was filled with the crack of rifle fire and the roar of cannon. At dawn, on the morning of the 6th of June 1944, 225 Rangers jumped off the British landing craft and ran to the bottom of these cliffs. Their mission was one of the most difficult and daring of the invasion: to climb these sheer and desolate cliffs and take out the enemy guns.

As I made my way back to my companions, the weather changed for the better. The wind stilled and the sun peeked from behind the clouds. The area above the beach still had the fearful decomposing pillboxes in place. Countless huge bomb craters were so deep that we had to form a human chain to pull out someone who ran down into one and couldn’t climb out.

The life changing moment for our entire group however was the American Cemetery and Memorial. We all had a deep sense of being overwhelmed by the poignancy of being encircled by 10,000 mostly 19- and 20-year-old fallen American boys who all died in and about this bloody desperate battle.

In the distance was the haunting beach and English Channel, now still. Everyone here whispers as you would in a church. Offering silent prayers was almost involuntary. We engaged some of the visiting veterans who willingly shared their involvements in the war. One leading us to the grave of a buddy to punctuate his story.

Later that summer the incomparable film, “Saving Private Ryan” was released. For me the timing seemed predetermined. The consequence of that summer then is why I’ll always remember the human cost of war.

This experience allowed me to recall and fully appreciate my own father’s wartime experience.  He witnessed the unspeakable carnage from a different perspective. During the war my father served as a hospital assistant at the Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio.

While he never functioned in combat, he aided and encouraged all the kids, his peers, with heinous injuries, burns, and missing limbs. He witnessed the horrors of war and later anguished at the thought of his sons having to go off and fight a generation after what he thought was the last war America would ever fight.

What he and I didn’t know then was that this country would be almost always be at war. War is a profitable enterprise.

President Eisenhower, the architect of D-Day, who saw war as perhaps no other American ever has, sending thousands into combat. It’s ironic that it was a man bred to combat who warned us of the dangers of the” Military Industrial Complex.” The problem we face today is that we are in a groundbreaking crossroads in weapon development. Because of AI technology, tanks, jet fighters, even soldiers will soon be obsolete. I think even nuclear missiles will be outdated.

Our current experts are developing, drones and robots, the diabolical weapons for the second half of the 21st century, and of course they are going to have to use them and sell them. We admire the peacemakers, but they haven’t been able to compete with the Masters of War, and so it goes on…the endless ruinous flaw of the human condition.

On this Veterans Day please pause to consider what Abraham Lincoln said, “A nation that does not honor it’s heroes will not long endure.” We need to imprint these words in our hearts. All those that served our country have earned our everlasting gratitude. Remember their sacrifice.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and good will among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their return to the haven of home. Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

– The ending of FDR’s D-Day prayer to the nation

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Jimmy Banakis is a life-long restaurateur.  He was an honorary batboy for the White Sox in 1964. He attended Oak Park River Forest High School, Nebraska Wesleyan University, and Chicago-Kent Law School.  He claims the kitchen is the room he’s most comfortable in anywhere in the world. He published an extremely limited-edition family cookbook. He’s a father and grandfather, and lives in Downers Grove Il.

Comments 33

  1. Thank you sir, and good on all veterans. Used to travel to Europe several times a year on business. While there, saw the beaches, the trenches in the Some’, and Bastogne. There, in the early winter evening with snow falling, one remember that kids then were dug into foxholes, and they could here the enemy coming, knowing if they failed our supply lines would be cut.
    Have believed for years that every junior in high school should spend time there walking through these, so they could appreciate the sacrifices made by these men.

    1. From the son of a man who left high school to fly an F6f Hellcat off a carrier in the Pacific, I paused after reading your article to whisper thanks. My Dad came home to actually “live his life in reverse.” After experiencing the most incredible experiences one could ever imagine in 3 years of war in the Pacific, he would come home, marry, have three kids, and work at J&L Steel; always honoring those who didn’t return. He instilled that gratitude for the ultimate sacrifice in his three kids. His reward he said “was the country and life we had because of their sacrifices.
      Thank you for this piece……

  6. Going to Normandy is still on my bucket list. The closest I have gotten is the reenactment of this battle ground is at Cantigny in Winfield, Il where one can walk the grounds that measure the distance from the sea to the cliff tops and visit their war museum. We can honor the fallen by contributing to the broken survivors through many wonderful organizations such as Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), Wounded Warriors, USO, or local VA hospitals.
    God bless our heroes.

  7. This Veteran thanks you for this outstanding tribute. My Dad was a WWII Veteran and I remember the parades, watching my heroes marching by. Very well done, Mr. Banakis.

  8. Great and appropriate work today. Thank you Mr. B.

    To all our veterans out there, thank you for taking the oath and making the sacrifice. For those that never came home, may God keep you in eternal peace.

  11. Jimmy,
    Thankyou for that vivid and stark reminder of the costs of war. Good men and women die, praying their sacrifice was not in vain. When folks thank me for my US Navy service, I thank them, and tell them it was a privilege to have served….truly. God rest the souls of all our brave armed forces that fought and died – laid to rest on foreign shores as well – thus allowing us to enjoy this life in America as free peoples.

  12. My Dad was a WWII Navy veteran and in his later years became concerned that people would forget what his generation accomplished in the war. I tried to reassure him that there were too many books and movies about WWII to prevent that from happening. I’m not sure I was successful. I have to confess to have had similar thoughts having been in the US Navy (1968-1972) and witnessed the reception when we returned. Fortunately I believe attitudes have improved recently as more people are openly expressing gratitude for the sacrifices veterans have made. Thanks for writing this excellent article on the accomplishments of the WWII generation. We should never forget.

  13. My father served in WWll in the United States Army Air Force. He told me of the horrors of war. I will never forget.
    PBS just ran ‘The Last 600 Yards’. It follows USMarine in Iraq battles circa 2004.
    A MUST WATCH!

  14. As one who has travelled quite a bit, I’m often asked what destination was the most memorable. The answer is always Normandy. Wonderful article, Mr. Banakis

  15. Excellent essay Jimmy. What so many do not realize and appreciate is that seven out of ten men that landed on Normandy that fateful day were killed. This is history that is completely ignored today in our schools of the sacrifice these 18, 19, 20 year olds gave so that we may have our freedom. May God Bless them.

  18. Excellent article Mr. Banakis! Also some excellent comments. My uncle was wounded at the Battle of the Bulge and laid in a ditch for 2 weeks before being attended to. My father with 3 kids and me in the oven enlisted as a result of his brother being missing. These men and women of that era were the definitely the “best generation”. While in the army, (1962-1965) I was stationed in France and had opportunity to visit several US military cemeteries. The quiet stillness with the American flag flying in the breeze took my breath away. God bless all those who gave their lives for our freedom and prosperity.

  19. I visited the WW II museum in New Orleans this morning.
    All veterans were admitted at no charge today, nice touch.
    Not a blue haired bulldyke or liberal male with a man bun
    or spinach chin in sight. They were expecting at least
    five thousand visitors today. Quite the moving experience.

    1. Mr. Elmzen- Let’s remember that the freedom our soldiers so valiantly fought and died for includes a person’s right to look and behave differently than what YOU deem appropriate.

  21. Thank you Jimmy. I have similar memories of Veteran’s Day. I knew many WWII vets myself when I was a young man. They served with dignity and, while never looking for recognition, they were happy to be thanked.

    Unfortunately any good will these men sacrificed and gave so much to richly deserve has been sullied by clowns like Lindsey Graham, Dick Cheney, Presidents Clinton, Obama, Bush, and Trump, and this clown Fox host Pete Hegseth, and our State Department.

    I never support blaming and file troops for anything they did in Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, these guys just wanted to come home. They were out in an untenable situation, without a a clear mission, without a clear enemy. They faced horrible stress, and our Vietnam vets who were drafted, they were spit at and called baby killers.

    We have not declared war since 1941. Our cowardly Congress has allowed the Utilization of Force authorization to go on and has been shoveling out the door to kill people all over the world.

    Gulf of Tonkin
    USS Liberty
    9/11

    We never are told the truth about these catastrophic events.

    1. You forgot to mention Crook Kissinger in your list. He was the chief architect of 2004 war on Saddam Husain with his slogan “If not now, then when?” that fueled Dick Cheney and the Bush Kid. And how about that WMD woman, Rice?
      You say we have not declared war since 1941 WWII. Yes, but that was a one time event. And how about the Cold War that was initiated by IKE and Which has been ruining the entire world, to this date? Remember IKE sent his Vice President Nixon to mid-east and eastern countries to seek members for then proposed CENTO and SEATO. But Marshall Tito, Gamal Abdel Nassar and India’s Nehru were entering a Non- Aligned nations treaty and Suharto of Indonesia turned down SEATO. So, with great disappointment Nixon was returning home. On the way back, his plane had to stop by Pakistan for refueling. And the Pakistan prime minister who was monitoring the entire movement, intercepted Nixon and offered his friendship. So Nixon was grateful to Pakistan that he didn’t have to go back to his boss empty handed. He gained at least one nation’s ‘friendship’!
      So he started pumping Billions and atomic technology to Pakistan so it can build atomic bombs and use it against India! And during the Indo-Pakistan war of 1971 which made the creation of a new nation of Bangladesh out of the West Pakistan, Nixon sent America’s 6th Naval Fleet to the Bay of Bengal in support of Pakistan only to find that India’s friend Russia’s Warship was already there making the 6th fleet do a 180 degree turn, back to America. That made Nixon more furious and he pumped billions more to Pakistan and helped them make the Nuclear Weapons! – Enemy’s enemy became a friend. Also, Political Science 101: When You make an Ally, some where an Enemy is born. When the Berlin Wall came down, NATO was to be scrambled. But it did not. Now, Russia has every right to launch its long term missiles on the NATO countries that carryout their military exercises surrounding Ukraine that is Russia’s Cuba. i.e., What was Cuba to USA in 1961 is now Ukraine to Russia. Intender?!

  22. Thank you, Mr. Banakis, for your Veterans Day column. It was a reminder that I, with our daughter, had the privilege of visiting Normandy Beach in 2019. We toured the cliffs and the enemy bunkers and the craters left by the bombardment, walked the beach, and read the placards. However, the most emotional moment, for me, was the serenity of Normandy American Cemetery — the perfectly-aligned grave markers with the blue sky and English Channel in the background and the pebbles left on the left side of the marble Star of David Headstones in remembrance.

  23. Great column, Jimmy! How can we possibly repay the debt we owe those heroes? I am unable to seriously contemplate Normandy, those cliffs and that cemetery without getting choked up.

  24. Another home run! You can really write. Check out Red Platoon if you get a chance. It was written by Medal of Honor winner Clinton Romesha about his experiences in Afghanistan. It really spoke to me.

  25. Kass never covers any of this Mr. Namperumal. In fact, all we get is the radical left, Obama, the Jacobins. There is only low hanging fruit and very little historical perspective.

    I get it though. The Democrats are horrible and have put the men in dresses ands the kids with green hair in front. They’ve flooded the cities with immigrants to rig the census, rig elections. They truly are despicable. I also love how the Obama’s call us all racists and say we are racist for not supporting them.

    It’s just the Republicans have their own cons. The con of the combine. They’ve sold us out too. It’s not just the Biden crime family that has no show/no work jobs and mounds of cash from influence peddling. I’ll take your Hunter and raise you a Kushner!

    The wars in Ukraine and Gaza are money laundering operations. You’ve hit the nail on the head about NATO, Cold War, Russia. Ukraine is right on his border. NATO has surrounded him. He’s just supposed to bend over?

    This slaughter in Israel is a byproduct of both money laundering and blackmail. How weak must Trump be that he couldn’t keep Boebert and Mace off the discharge petition? It’s not like they have strong character either. He is like a Marlin who always manages to wiggle off the hook though, so I won’t count him out. He’s made a lot of people a lot of money.

    I’m dubious of the Epstein stuff though. I wonder what is actually there. Maxwell obviously knows a lot, and must have something hidden away to be realeased in case she commits suicide in her jail cell. But I don’t know what the FBI is sitting on. Maybe the Democrats implicated are all out of office or dead. I can’t see any other way they’d want it put out.

    Anyway, radical left, jacobins, fat boi, are all pretty rancid. So Victor Davis Hansen rewrites are all we are getting here.

    Trump is owned by the Israelis. Miriam Edelson and other billionaires have bought our foreign policy. Al Queda is running Syria. They are proposing US military installations in Syria and Gaza to be sitting duck for attack. Venezuelan? We are talking it and all the oil as Trump said.

    But look, radical left! Trans!

  26. I would encourage you and John and anyone else to contact Overlord Tours in Bayeux, France and take a guided tour. Small groups of about a half dozen at a time make for a phenomenal experience, with detail and expertise. I’ve done it twice and would do it again. I took the Airborne Tour, since my father-in-law was an 82nd Airborne paratrooper who parachuted into hell the night before the beach landings, June 6th, 1944. I was in the 82nd, Vietnam era, so he told me some stories, some horrifying and some even funny. I will never forget standing on Omaha and Utah beaches, and atop Point Du Hoc. The American Cemetery at Colleville, overlooking Omaha Beach, is a place of incredibly solemn and somber beauty. It is an experience you will remember and treasure as long as you live. God bless them all.

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