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Posts Tagged ‘World War II veterans’

The fumbling old veterans return to French soil.

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2016|

Here is one that has been making the rounds for a while (note the age of the veteran- he would have been 11 in 1944). I’ve gotten it forwarded to me or seen it online for like the 25th time since it first appeared about a dozen years ago.

 

83 yr old army veteran

 

Give it to him, Gramps!

Too bad it’s not true. You can substitute the American soldier for British or Canadian, if you really want to google it.

I suppose I should laugh, take it as a joke, if that was the purpose.  There are rude customs officials, for sure. And on my first read,  I’m sure the tale resonated at some level that made me proud.

But, then I read comments online like this:

“I have heard about that encounter before and I love to hear it re-told……too bad some of the nations thatt America has liberated or protected no longer appreciate it….or even seem to remember.” 

And since that seems to be a very common reaction, maybe it’s time to call bullshit.

Here’s why.

I know a ton of American World War II veterans who returned to France and the Low Countries after they retired, well after the war. And far from forgetting, the memory of what the liberators underwent is indelibly seared into the consciousness on the continent where our troops fought, three generations later, and passed on to the children in who live in those places today. They turn out by the THOUSANDS to greet our veterans, and adopt the graves of fallen Americans to care for in their lands.

This American soldier was killed a month before the war ended and lies in the Netherlands, his grave tended by three generations of the same family. And the little guy, probably the 4th generation, is not American.

The vets are honored everywhere they go. One of my overseas acquaintances even runs a private museum (link above) dedicated to the sacrifices of the American soldiers who liberated his town in the Netherlands. I have been to WWII reunions here in the States where citizens and film crews from these countries have flown over to attend and honor these veterans. They are welcomed back to the concentration camp memorials in Germany with red carpet treatment and private tours.

The meme makes us feel good for our imaginary veteran, I suppose. But I get more misty-eyed watching my ninety-something year old friend from Buffalo, NY, Dick Lacey, riding in the jeep, overwhelmed at all the attention, who can only choke back five words- “Wow! Look at all the people!”  – seeing the crowds who have come out to wish him well.

***

Read this article for starts. Look at the monuments to honor the American sacrifices throughout NW Europe, through the eyes and the ears of our veterans returning one last time.

PNGAnd did you know that France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor, is given to American veterans who fought in France? The Legion of Honor was created by Napoleon, and is reserved for  outstanding service to France. A lot of my friends have received it in ceremonies at French embassies or consulates, and it proudly donned on very special occasions.  [Download the form below if you know a qualifying vet, before it is too late.  They don’t award it posthumously.] So when it comes to our veterans, so much for that legendary French snobbery and ingratitude.

The Legion d’Honneur for US Veterans

Upon presentation of their military file as detailed hereunder, US veterans who risked their life during World War II to fight on French territory, may be awarded this distinction. Those selected are appointed to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor.

thank you very much

 

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Here we are commemorating it 150 years later as the last veteran of World War II dies.

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on June 3, 2013|

Lautenberg was the last World War II veteran in Senate

By Chris Cillizza and Steve Vogel, Washington Post

Published: June 3 | Updated: Tuesday, June 4, 6:58 PM

In the not very very distant past, the corridors of the U.S. Senate were alive with men who had served in World War II, among them such powerful icons as John Warner of Virginia, Ted Stevens of Alaska, Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Ernest Hollings of South Carolina.

But with the death Monday of Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.), not a single one of the 115 World War II veterans who served in the Senate remain, the latest evidence of the rapid decline in members of Congress with military service.

The passing of Lautenberg and the dearth of veterans in Congress is a concern for veterans advocates, who have seen a number of senior senators with clout and sympathy toward their positions pass from the scene in recent years.

“It’s a sad day,” said Louis Celli, national legislative director for the American Legion. “These were some of the most ferocious advocates for veterans that we had. We as veterans counted on the senior leadership, the World War II veterans, to represent us. We respected them, they respected us, and without them, there’s going to be a void.”

Lautenberg “was a real champion for veterans,” said Bob Wallace, executive director of Veterans of Foreign Wars. “He was very proud of the fact that he served in World War II and got educated on the GI Bill. He wanted to do the same for younger veterans, no matter what generation they served.”

More than a badge of honor, the common military service bonded many of the World War II senators, who would often come together to foster a spirit of cooperation throughout the legislative body.

“It cut across ideological lines,” said Donald Ritchie, the Senate historian. “They could put aside the politics and talk about when they were in the South Pacific together.”

For a time, the Senate was home to three men — Inouye, Bob Dole of Kansas and Phil Hart of Michigan — who had recuperated at the same Army hospital from serious wounds incurred in World War II combat.

As recently as the 111th Congress, which ended Jan. 3, 2011, there were 26 members of the Senate who were veterans. Today, 12 of those 26 are gone, due to a variety of causes, from death to retirement to electoral defeat. Two more veterans — Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) — are retiring at the end of the 113th Congress next year.

In the House, only 19 percent of House members were active-duty military, the lowest percentage of veterans since World War II, a decline fueled in part by the end of the military draft in the early 1970s. The highest percentage was in 1977, when eight in 10 members of Congress had some form of military service.

Veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan have not been elected to Congress in large numbers. “So far, it doesn’t look like it’s happening,” Celli said. “It’s going to take a while.”

Two veterans of World War II — John D. Dingell (D-Mich.) and Ralph M. Hall (R-Tex.) — remain in the House.

Dingell issued a statement Monday saluting Lautenberg. “In his work on behalf of the people of New Jersey, and his time spent in the Army in defense of our nation — a brother of mine in arms during World War II — Senator Lautenberg did his job and did it well,” Dingell said.

Ritchie noted that a Civil War sesquicentennial exhibit on display at the Capitol tells the story of the more than 150 Union and Confederate veterans who served in the Senate through 1929, when the last of them, Francis E. Warren of Wyoming, died.

“Here we are commemorating it 150 years later as the last veteran of World War II dies,” Ritchie said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/lautenberg-was-the-last-world-war-ii-veteran-in-senate/2013/06/03/df979880-cc82-11e2-9f1a-1a7cdee20287_story.html

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