Graves in the American military cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer (Département Calvados. Région Basse-Normandie) FRANCE
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On five beaches in Normandy, 68 years ago, the Western members of the Anti-Hitler Coalition opened up the long-awaited Second Front (Italy was a sideshow that didn’t count as such). As always, there were personal stories behind each and every loss. They all had faces… they all had names. It saddened me to see how little attention Americans pay to their history, quite unlike Russians or Greeks. An all-too-common attitude is, “If you can’t smoke it, eat it, screw it, or drive it, forget it”. Look at the difference between today in Normandy and Victory Day in Moscow. The comparison’s stark, and it’s not flattering to Americans. That’s sad… the American soldiers’ sacrifice was as total and pure as were those of the Red Army soldiers. It’s one of the reasons that I discount and disbelieve virtually everything written by American Rightwingers. Tome after tome about wealth… nothing about the sacrifices of those who made the postwar world possible. I look at these graves, and I’m moved to tears… I reflect on Wafflin’ Willy (and those of like ilk) hiding their money in offshore accounts whilst lecturing the rest of us about patriotism, and it moves me to anger. One of these things is NOT like the other…
I shall remember… shall you?
NO ONE IS FORGOTTEN… NOTHING IS FORGOTTEN… Olga Berggolts‘ words don’t just cover the Red Army, they cover the West’s portion, too. God bless them all…
BMD
