As Lincoln, I'm in my forties too (big five-0 in a matter of weeks... on
July 2oth - no credits for the heroic events of 1944 and 1969 though...) and
the son of a dad who was in the Danish resistance and had to flee to Sweden
short of his 17th birthday. Although he didn't take part in the organized
fighting by the Americans and the Brits, he toop came away from his
experience scarred for life. His mother's house was bombed as revenge for
his and his friends activities and he didn't know of her (nor his brother's)
fate for months (they survived, no thanks to the Germans and their Danish
helpers). There was always a quiet dignity about him in everything he did,
including his battle with the cancer that killed him at 69, and I guess he
came away disappointed by the "resistance fighters" emerging in Denmark just
after the Germans had capitulated in May of 1945, the general lack of
gratitude for freedom recaptured amongst those who did nothing and the
hypocrisy of the politicians at the time. He and his lifelong friends from
then never wanted to discuss the war, something it took me years to
understand. Membership of this group has helped me enormously in better
understanding Winston Churchill, the risks he took and the contribution to
the cause of freedom he made as well as those of the Greatest Generation.
Soren Hovgaard, Copenhagen, Denmark
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]
On Behalf Of Lincoln
Sent: 30. juni 2011 12:39
To: ChurchillChat
Subject: [ChurchillChat] Re: D-Day Memorial, Bedford, VA
That is incredibly well put, Charles and Keith.....so well put that it
stirs a chord of memory in me, recalling times that I've been lucky
enough to meet someone of that generation. They are special - there's
no denying that. The world they returned to, when they'd done fighting
to save it, was unkind to them, and in many more ways disappointed
them, for it failed to live up to the standards they had every right
to expect of it. But by God I hope they know that there are many of us
- remote though we may be from them in experience and age - who
respect them for what they are, and revere them for what they did; and
for whom they will forever remain Olympian figures of awesome heroism.
On Jun 30, 7:18 am, Keith Leonard <[email protected]> wrote:
> And there it is. I think you could make a case with that statement, "Well
I'll get through this" in one sense, defines them; they could be brought
down but never defeated. Whenever I've been with those men and women I feel
absolutely safe and secure. They naturally exude a sense of assurance that
is palpable and all embracing.
>
> By the way, there is a bust and plaque of Winston Churchill at the D-Day
Memorial in Bedford, VA
>
> On Jun 29, 2011, at 11:58 AM, Charles Montgomery wrote:
>
>
>
> > Another thank you men.
>
> > I'm 70, so I've had the pleasure and honor to talk to a lot of WWII vets
about their war experiences over my life. I find the same thing Keith
mentions, their desire to make the world better. Another thing I notice
that is difficult to pinpoint but there just the same is how they confront
adversity. One of my dear friends was captured in the Battle of the Bulge
on Christmas Eve 1944 and sent to East Prussia in a 40x8 rail car.
>
> > While I was helping him clean up some damage after hurricane Ivan in
2004 it was easy to notice his kind of, "Well I'll get through this ; I've
seen lots worse before." attitude. And believe me, he had.
>
> > --- On Wed, 6/29/11, Keith Leonard <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > From: Keith Leonard <[email protected]>
> > Subject: Re: [ChurchillChat] Re: D-Day Memorial, Bedford, VA
> > To: [email protected]
> > Date: Wednesday, June 29, 2011, 9:10 AM
>
> > Thank you, Lincoln. I could go on at great length regarding the
sacrifices they made just as a matter of course and reflex. Moreover, the
sacrifices and efforts the Greatest Generation made to preserve our freedom
did not end in 1945. They relentlessly strove to create a better world.
Those that can and are still with us, still do.
>
> > On Jun 29, 2011, at 3:48 AM, Lincoln wrote:
>
> >> Amen to that Keith. I'm in my 40s, and my generation took root long
> >> after the 2nd World War had finished. However I am eternally grateful
> >> to those brave men and women who preserved our civilisation for us and
> >> saved it from the hideous prospect of Nazi domination - a thing that I
> >> think David Irving would not have minded at all. I will never lose
> >> sight of the fact that the world I live in today is free (in most
> >> respects) only because of their heroism and sacrifice - true
> >> sacrifice, for they and their families lost everything in the fight.
> >> May our collective gratitude for what they did, and the memory of
> >> their great, hard-won triumph never die.
>
> >> On Jun 10, 4:35 pm, Carey Stronach <[email protected]> wrote:
> >>> I live about 140 miles from the memorial. It's most impressive, and a
humbling experience to visit.
>
> >>> CES
>
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: "Perpetuo991" <[email protected]>
> >>> To: "ChurchillChat" <[email protected]>
> >>> Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2011 8:20:08 PM
> >>> Subject: [ChurchillChat] D-Day Memorial, Bedford, VA
>
> >>> This Monday past, I attended the 67th anniversary ceremony honoring
> >>> veterans of D-Day at the D-Day Memorial in Bedford,VA. It was not
> >>> only a thrill but an honor and privilege to be among these genuine
> >>> heroes. Although to a man they all state that the real heroes were
> >>> left behind these brave men still deserve our enduring respect and
> >>> gratitude for the sacrifices they made on our behalf.
>
> >>> If any of you get the chance, the Memorial is a site well worth
> >>> visiting.
>
> >>> Respectfully,
>
> >>> Keith Thomas Leonard
>
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