Monday: We will remember them

It was a special week to look into the past and the future.

Author

Jack Needham
June 10th, 2024 • Reading Time: 8 minutes

Presented by 

Morning Change Makers,

This newsletter is traditionally dedicated to those who are trying to bring about a better world for tomorrow, but it is only through the change makers of the past's sacrifice that we are even able to. 

Today I wanted to take a look at the heroes of the past and what we can do in this century because of them. 

Read on,
Jack

“The doors opened as we grounded and the colonel was out. The sea was choppy and the boat swung a good bit as one by one we followed him. Several fell in and got soaked through. I was lucky. I stopped for a few seconds to help my men with their heavy wireless sets and to ensure they kept them dry.

As we staggered ashore, we dispersed and lay down above the water's edge. Stuff was falling pretty close to us and although I did not see it happen, quite a number of the people from my own boat were hit. Instinctively, where we lay we hacked holes with our shovels. I began to recognise wounded men of the assault companies. Some were dead, others struggling to crawl out of the water because the tide was rising very rapidly. We could not help them since our job was to push on, but I saw one of my signal corporals with a wound in his leg and I took his codes with me promising to send a man back for his set before he was evacuated.”

Lieutenant H T Bone of the 2nd Battalion, East Yorkshire Regiment, to his mother on July 4th

Picture of a D-day veteran at the UK service in Normandy

On June 6th, 1944 the largest amphibious invasion the world has ever seen commenced. 150,000 men, 6900 boats, and 11,000 aircraft took part in D-day and last week, 80 years on, we remembered their sacrifice.

These moments are poignant, not because of grandiose speeches and cool flyovers. They are poignant because of their service and duty. Let me explain why.

We have mentioned before that the world's Change Makers frequently feel distant and high achieving. Their stories are so long and complex that they almost feel otherworldly. 

These men were normal. They were boys sent to witness the horrors of war for the freedom of Europe. Ordinary men who were sent to do an extraordinary task. These were men from every corner of every allied nation, no different from the rest of us, sent to stand tall in front of an indomitable enemy. And they did. 

At such a young age they deeply understood what they were fighting for and embodied duty and service to the greater good.

“We of the United States have something to fight for - never more fully have I realised that. There just is no other country with comparable wealth, advancement or standard of living. The USA is worth a sacrifice”

2nd Lt Jack Lundberg, May 19

“It is sometimes the people no one imagines anything of, who do the things no one can imagine”

Alan Turing in the Imitation Game

It's one thing to understand the importance of service, it's another to sacrifice everything for it. It is clear to me writing this newsletter that moments of change come down to one or two pivotal moments, after years of hard work. 

Moments of decision, courage, and sacrifice. 10,000 men died on D-day. 10,000 men died fighting for what they stood for. For what their country stood for. 

Ask yourself the question, when was the last time you stood up for something to the detriment of yourself? When was the last time you made a decision that put you worse off for the greater good? 

When you go home,
Tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow,
We gave our today

I have been trying to process the events of this week I am left with a sense of duty. I am part of a generation with a waning loyalty to their country and the greater good. This week reminded me of the importance of duty; duty to those who gave up everything, a duty to move forward, work hard, and build a future they would be proud of.

Here are some moments from the service I enjoyed:

As I sat remembering the heroes of D-day, I saw SpaceX launch their 4th test of Starship. Now this newsletter is in danger of becoming the Elon Musk show but I think what was profound about this week's launch was not just the rocket or how big it was. 

What’s interesting is the rate of progress. Less than a year ago was Starship's first launch and it exploded 2 minutes after launch. 

One year later, both Starship and Superheavy Booster conducted a soft landing in the ocean. 

As I watched the launch and saw this tweet, I felt one of those zoom-out moments. We will achieve all our technological goals this century, not just space but across the entire spectrum of science and technology.

  1. We will be multi-planetary 

  2. AGI will be built 

  3. We will achieve energy abundance 

  4. We will cure all major disease

Without getting esoteric, assuming these statements are true, it brings into question what wave you want to join. With the rate of improvement only increasing, picking your career lane will likely be one of the most important choices you make. 

Change Makers think deeply about the problems they are working on, ones where momentum is on their side. 

That art of choosing is another newsletter's worth of content but making the decision not to be passive is the first step in the right direction.

A word from our sponsor:

Quit sending emails like a dinosaur.

It’s the year 2024 and all the top newsletters are using beehiiv.

beehiiv was created by the same early Morning Brew employees who scaled their daily email to over 4 million subscribers. And now every newsletter on beehiiv has access to the same tools and winning formula.

So what exactly does beehiiv offer?

  • World-class growth tools like the referral program and recommendation network

  • Monetization via the beehiiv Ad Network and premium subscriptions (i.e. beehiiv helps you get paid)

  • Seamless content creation with a sleek collaborative editor

  • Best-in-class inbox deliverability of 98.7%

  • Oh and it’s the most affordable by a mile…

Take your newsletter to the next level — get started for free.