Thank You!!!
It's not everyday that one gets the opportunity to visit a place that is as sacred and unforgettable as the American Military Cemetary in Normandy, France. I can honestly say that chills ran through my body as I made my way around. I am grateful that not only was I able to visit this special place (and when I say special, I mean SPECIAL) but I was able to visit this place with my brother Jake. As we walked through the cemetary I reflected on the fact that not only am I extremely proud to be the grandson of both William Simpson and Thomas Roan, both of whom served admirably in WWII, but I am forever proud to be an American citizen. I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that this is a pretty damn good country we live in and we forget the sacrifices that those of us who came before us gave up so we can live in a country that is free. We walked along the beach at Omaha and I could almost see those young boys coming ashore almost 63 years ago this June. They faced insurmonutable odds, both through determination, character of the American spirit, and the grace of God were able to take the beach that day. So I just wanted to take the time to thank all of those who preserve our freedom and that I do not take it granted. God Bless the USA!!!!!
Over 9,000 graves at Normandy
It's not everyday that one gets the opportunity to visit a place that is as sacred and unforgettable as the American Military Cemetary in Normandy, France. I can honestly say that chills ran through my body as I made my way around. I am grateful that not only was I able to visit this special place (and when I say special, I mean SPECIAL) but I was able to visit this place with my brother Jake. As we walked through the cemetary I reflected on the fact that not only am I extremely proud to be the grandson of both William Simpson and Thomas Roan, both of whom served admirably in WWII, but I am forever proud to be an American citizen. I think sometimes we lose sight of the fact that this is a pretty damn good country we live in and we forget the sacrifices that those of us who came before us gave up so we can live in a country that is free. We walked along the beach at Omaha and I could almost see those young boys coming ashore almost 63 years ago this June. They faced insurmonutable odds, both through determination, character of the American spirit, and the grace of God were able to take the beach that day. So I just wanted to take the time to thank all of those who preserve our freedom and that I do not take it granted. God Bless the USA!!!!!
Over 9,000 graves at Normandy
3 strapping young bucks
Omaha Beach
Here Lies in Honored Glory A Comrade In Arms
Known But to God
posted by josh at 4/29/2007 10:25:00 AM
11 Comments:
josh,
nice account. thanks.
i, too, was moved beyond measure when i visited normandy and other military sites where american soldiers fought and died. it should be mandatory for our young to visit such places, or at least have a thorough knowledge of how we got to this time and place.
WW II may have been a just cause. certainly hitler and his ilk were dangerous beasts. as were the imperialist japanese.
so i agree, let's be proud of FDR, our military leaders, and the millions & millions of young men and women--our parents and grandparents--who sacrificed so much during that horrific conflict.
but let's not confuse that cause with anything that has happened in the ensuing sixty years. i am not proud to be an american when i look at what we have wrought in iraq. i am not proud to be an american when i remember what we did in vietnam. or iran. or chile. or nicaraqua. or laos. or cambodia. or the balkans. or in our own inner cities.
let's remember what it means to be an american. it definitely does not mean towing the line, remaining mute, apathetically accepting decisions made by our inadequate and corrupt leaders.
it means mouthing off when you don't like the way the toilet smells.
let them call you cynical. let them call you unpatriotic. let them call you boring. but if you're really a true blue patriotic american who knows why jefferson and hancock and adams and washington and simpson and roan risked their necks for independence, you don't give a good goddamn what they call you. you just keep on talking, keep on making your case.
Josh,
Thanks for writing such a thoughtful entry. It was touching and refreshing to read.
Laura
Hi, Josh,
I was in Normandy about 30 years ago with my father, James Simpson, your grandfather's brother. My memory is that we were walking up long path and I was winded but my dad just kept trekking. It was so quiet that I could hear the waves way below, and even gulls' wings as they flew by. And my dad got to the top of the hill before me, and I lost sight of him for a few seconds, and then the next thing I knew I was standing behind him and before us were those acres of white crosses. Bleached, still, endlless white crosses. My father, who had been joking minutes before, was suddenly crushed - I could see it in his hunched shoulders, and the war that seemed ancient history to me suddenly came into focus. And then I saw my father's shoulders square, and he stood absolutely erect, and he took off his cap and saluted.
Thanks for posting. I don't seem to make it to this blog site often, but I sure enjoy seeing you all over there in France. And I'm grateful for the memory it triggered.
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The response to the attack of 9/11 was the correct choice - these jihadists make Hitler look like a boy's scout.
I don't know that our response to the 9/11 attack was the correct one, but it seemed like the only choice at the time.
Josh, I bet you're having an awesome time in France. I'm envious.
hitler killed over seven million civilians and was responsible for ripping all of europe, north africa, and western asia to shreds.
some boy scout.
some crazy bastards from saudi arabia blew up the trade centers, so we invaded iraq. how was that a correct choice?
Josh,
Admirable sentiments. As one who also served to protect your freedom (under very different circumstances than our fathers/grandfathers), I’ll say, “you’re welcome.” I think you’re the first person who ever thanked me. You did thank me, didn’t you? And thank you, Jim and John.
Now let’s bring back the draft. This volunteer army is for the birds. If the USA is so great, boys and girls, all must serve. Equality, right? You first, Ricky.
maybe that senile old fart john mccain will advocate a draft. he certainly seems willing to spill american blood from kabala to timbuktu.
young american men don't want to fight anymore anyway. they just want to fiddle their diddles and scroll thru the 42,000 songs on their ipods.
it's time to give the young muslims porn rags and mp3 players and tell the pols & the generals & the megalomanics to go fuck themselves.
Here comes my rant: I don’t think we'd ever have gone to Iraq if we’d had a draft. Even if we had, do you think we’d still be there? The iPod diddlers would have had the Bush Nazis' heads on sticks by now. Even as we banter the govt’s having a tough time keeping the National Guard from revolting over there. And those guys volunteered. When people’s lives are at stake they speak up. Otherwise they just, as you say, fiddle their diddles. There’s only one fair way to handle this: national service. Every kid does two years, whether it’s War Corps, Peace Corps, Teacher Corps, Clean-up Corps, Anti-poverty Corps, Anti-terrorist spying on your best friend’s aunt whose stepson’s uncle is a Muslim neighborhood patrol corps. Get those middle class prima donnas out of their prep schools and Beamers and into the frickin fray. Yee-haa!
it is unbelievable we don't have some kind of mandatory national service.
do you think we can get any of these candidates to put national service on their dockets?
i think not. they'd be too chickenshit, too afraid of alienating even one possible voter.
and so, like our desperate need for campaign finance reform, term limits, and a fair & balanced tax code, nothing will get done.
other than our continued drift into apathy.
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