The part of our New Orleans trip which I enjoyed the most was the National D-Day Museum (warning: lots of Flash, etc.). We only had about 4 hours there, so we only got to tour the Pacific Invasions and see one of the movies. There's definitely a lot to see.

Believe me, I'm aware that me fascination with military history doesn't fit with my concern over violence of any form. But there you have it.

One interesting connection between D-Day and Louisiana is Higgin's Boat. Andrew Higgins designed and produced shallow draft boats like you'd use in a bayou. They were also perfect for landing craft and were instrumental in the Normandy and Pacific invasions.

It's tempting to aggrandize the men and women who fought the war. Tom Brokaw did it in his 'Greatest Generation'. Stephen Ambrose does it in his works (which carries over to this museum, in which he figures prominently. They were brave and did a great thing. But they don't get a pass on everything. Like the Japanese said, American foreign policy was imperialistic (like it often is today). And they made many mistakes after they came home from the war, a debt which especially came due during the social upheaval of the 60s. But they defeated fascism and made great sacrifices, for which they should be honored.