[ale] OT: D-Day +68

[Jim Kinney]

On 06/06/2012 11:36 PM, Tim Watts wrote:
> I met an elderly man in France while riding through Normandy on my
> bicycle back in '96.  He was there that day, not as a soldier but as a
> French citizen living under Nazi rule.  This man showed me what real
> enduring gratitude is about.
>
> I rode into a small town and stopped to get directions from two women.
> When they noticed I was from the US they called over to their friend and
> introduced me.  He didn't speak English -- and I know only enough French
> to make the French want me to speak English -- but the women explained
> that since being liberated he's made a commitment to do something nice
> to any US citizen he encounters.  I just wanted to be on my way but he
> insisted on taking me to lunch.  We communicated mainly in gestures and
> diagrams but it was a lunch I'll never forget.
>
> So yeah, what Aaron says too, but this day meant something real to a lot
> of people.

Yeah. The world has changed since 1942. We liberated France and they are 
still happy with us. I always wonder what might we have done had we not 
sat back for so long. Could we have prevented the holocaust? Or maybe 
Japan would not have seen us as "passive" and never attacked Pearl Harbour.

I wish the VA system were better. A long time friend's daughter is 
getting married soon to a veteran of Iraq. The PTSD will be a challenge 
for their them and their new baby. Treatment is available but not 
locally for him (or most vets who go back home) thanks to budget cuts.

I really wish our schools were better. Maybe we could grow some better 
politicians that can solve problems without warfare. That would be 
pretty cool.
>
>
>
> On Wed, 2012-06-06 at 10:16 -0400, Rich Faulkner wrote:
>> Placing it on the record here; that today marks D-DAY plus 68-years.
>> Thank you gentlemen...one and all.
>>
>> John 15:13
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