D-Day Remembrance

Well, here we are again. It's D-Day tomorrow and this article has been posted before, but it's fitting:Amflag2::

Remember that Friday June 6th is the 70th anniversary of D-Day!





Once upon a time, our politicians didn't apologize for our country's prior actions. Here's a refresher on how some of our former patriots handled negative comments about our country.

These are good

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO. DeGaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.

Rusk responded, "Does that include those who are buried here?"

DeGaulle did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop.

When in England ,at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush..

He answered by saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

You could have heard a pin drop.

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There was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a break, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, "Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?"

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?"

You could have heard a pin drop.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked, "Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?"

Without hesitating,the American Admiral replied, "Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German."

You could have heard a pin drop.

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AND
THIS STORY FITS RIGHT IN WITH THE ABOVE...


Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on.

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically.


Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know enough to have your passport ready."


The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible... Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France !"


The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find a single Frenchmen to show a passport to."

You could have heard a pin drop.

No problem with reposting, I always enjoy reading it.


And tomorrow is a very appropriate time for all to read it again. Or even today. Hell, even every day for that matter.

My Uncle landed. He is still alive and doing well, but that war messed him up. However he is the most social guy you would ever want to meet. Won't discuss the war at all. A neighbor also landed, but health is failing. We call him "Smiley". Always has a smile on his face. He said, after living through those days of hell, the rest of his life would be a blessing and he would be forever happy. It shows on his face. He taught his dog to beep his car horn as he drives by each neighbor. Kind of a way to say hello to each of us. We always know when he drove by. His health is now keeping him from driving. He married a nice, younger French gal over there, who became a nurse and is taking care of him at home now. Nice guy...nice folks.
Thanks for remembering them.

Obummer finally made it to a D-Day Remembrance in Normandy, France. I can't believe that he didn't show up the last FIVE years... the first ones not attended by a U.S. President since that day in 1944!

I viewed some of the photos posted of veterans and the celebration there. That 93-year-old paratrooper successfully made a jump, too.

:Amflag2:

Wynn:)

I feel like every year on this date that we all need to watch the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan to remind ourselves of what those brave scared young patriots did for us and what it must have been like. Their actions secured our way of life. A few years ago we were on an Alaska cruise and I went into a bar on the way back to the ship. There was a family sitting at a table and among them was an older man with a WWII Veteran hat. I bought him a beer, thanked him for his service, and then thanked him for the opportunities and the way of life that his service provided for EVERY generation since. We got to talking like guys with a military common bond do, and I damn near missed movement. He was sharp as a tack and just an awesome man. I could have sat and visited with him all day. When I got back to the ship I could tell my wife was irritated that I was late, then I told her why I was late. She said, you should have bought him two beers.

Kudos to you. I haven't been to Normandy, but I've seen some of the battlefield cemeteries in Europe, and they are awe-inspiring.

Saving Private Ryan was one of the first movies to come close to depicting the horror that the Allies faced and endured to stop another infamous Socialist. The battle scenes were really intense and bloody, as real-life combat is... shocking to many people, but still not depicting the true horror and the bravery of our troops.

I never actually visited the Vietnam Memorial... the Wall... couldn't stop crying if I did... but did see it from the road. I still get choked up every time I watch someone standing there and filled with emotion.

Semper Fi!

Wynn:)

Just found out some interesting family history I was unaware of - My son's wife's grandpa was killed at Normandy and is buried there in the American cemetery.

It just so happens that my son & two grandsons are in central France visiting a very good friend of mine & his family at his French farmstead. Said friend mentioned today that before he takes them back to Paris for their return flight home in three weeks, they will tour Normandy and some of the WWII historical sites.
Called Son's MIL & brought her up to date on their travels, so she will text him the grave location info for the visit - the first time any family members have been there to see her dad's final resting place.

That will certainly give a pretty close family connection for the grandsons and the visit to their great-grandfather's grave should elevate their interest in the tour.

It also happens that son is carrying a vial with some of his late wife's ashes - she passed away last year from cancer on the morning of her 39th birthday. She was a lifelong fan of the rock musician & poet Jim Morrison of The Doors (even though he died before she was born). Son had planned to visit his grave in Paris and sprinkle the ashes as near it as he could. Hmmmmmm.... I wonder if that plan might be amended?

D-Day was yesterday 72 years ago. I am sure that the number of WW2 veterans have dwindled but thank you for your service! Its because of you I served my country for 23 years.