Members of the United States Armed Forces arrived at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944.
The Warfare History Network
The men of Company A of the 116th Infantry Regiment and U.S. 29th Infantry Division knew that this hour was going to be their most difficult. … As the landing craft approached the beach, the soldiers inside could hear the telltale sound of machine-gun rounds striking the raised ramps. … As the ramps were lowered, the troops were fully exposed to the fury of the German machine guns. Machine guns that were designed to fire in interlocking areas of fire killed many of the men who escaped the landing craft. The water swept their bodies into the sea. … Some men chose in their desperation to jump overboard instead of exiting the front of the craft. After they got in the water, their equipment was heavy and they had to fight for their lives. While carrying heavy loads, they thrashed around. They drowned if they couldn’t get rid of their loads.
On November 16th and 17th, 2021, students at Eastern Illinois University were granted two days off for “mental health.”
Surely they needed it — they’d only had one summer off.
Plus, there’d been COVID and its death rate — as of December 2020, before the vaccine was released — of 0.0002% for those 20-49 years old.
To relieve their unrelenting stress students rode on big-wheeled vehicles, cuddled with dogs and built LEGO bricks.
A few things might have changed over the 70-year span.
Prior to the college’s 48-hour fight in the battle against anxiety, EIU announced thusly:
As with other universities in the United States, we recognize the rise of mental health problems on campus as well as the wider community. This has been made worse by the ongoing pandemic that continues to bring uncertainty and stress to our students. This is something we hear every day from concerned students and colleagues.
“[S]tudents are accessing critical campus services such as the Counseling Center and Medical Clinic that support student wellness,” it noted.
Furthermore:
[W]You have been informed by academic advisors, tutors, residents assistants, and faculty that higher education is proving difficult for many this year.
Therefore, for two days, “[a]Cademic Classes [would]Cancellations will be made and there are a number of focused, deliberate, and targeted wellness activities that can be done. [would] be available for all students.”
Indeed — not only did the school give everyone a couple weekdays’ reprieve, it planned fun activities to assist in shaking off the blues.
The activity calendar for Wednesday, at 11:11 a.m. looked something like the following:
- Therapy dogs
- Meditation Space
- Chair Yoga
- Yoga for beginners
- Stretching
- Sleep Hygiene: Lavender
- Stress balls can help you build resilience
- Spa-On the Go Kits
- Affirmation cards
- Journaling
- Refreshments
The day before, 1:45 p.m. offered “Cocoa and Cookies,” “Big Pink Volleyball,” a frisbee-rific “KanJam,” and “Trike Races.”
If you’re unfamiliar with “trikes”:
Trike Race pic.twitter.com/ml4fene242
— uhstitans (@UHSTPrincipal) May 19, 2017
EIU isn’t the first school to try and help its enrollees deal with the difficulties of the day:
University Teaches Pulverized Pupils to Rumble With Racism – by Taking Naps
https://t.co/PktBBCSqfh
— RedState (@RedState) February 28, 2021
But from all appearances, it definitely didn’t want to be outdone.
Hence, for additional support on the 17th, those ravaged by rigors at EIU were treated to “I Scream for Ice Cream,” which included games, “relaxation over a tasty bowl of coldness,” and time playing with LEGO.
An hour and a half earlier, young adults were de-stressed by way of a “Words of Encouragement jar” and “coloring pages.”
Crayons also fought fatigue the day prior, as part of a “Diversi-Tea.”
After two days of tricycle riding and coloring, hopefully everyone can overcome their hardships and return to class.
Meanwhile, fingers are crossed that we won’t be forced into large-scale international combat any time soon.
My guess is that storming the beach and caring for animals would prove difficult.
Beyond that, gun triggers would necessitate trigger warnings, and it’d be hard to read those and affirmation cards while dodging enemy fire.
Today, it is not enough to get up and function.
But thankfully, a brave new generation — comprised of America’s future leaders — is willing to fight in that war.
-ALEX
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