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So as not to step on Ted's toes - what you hopefully stop to remember this Memorial Day
Memorial day pretty much coincides with the beginning of spring is these parts. The sun comes out, the skies turn blue, ice disappears from the lakes, birds return and the daytime temps reach into the 70s. Been doing a lot of bicycling on some of our great paved trails. Many American flags waving in the breeze along the way.
Yes, it's a good day to reflect on past service and to memorialize times of clearer meanings (my grandfather, father, brother, sister-in-law, all Navy or USMC, like many here, I am sure).
Just three days ago I visited the American Military Cemetery in Normandy. This is one of many overseas cemeteries (24 IIRC) maintained to honor those who fell. I have never seen a more elegant or moving graveyard; a spanking new visitor center is the equivalent of an invasion museum in and of itself. Along the coast there are other museums, mostly privately run, that commemorate a particular sector’s contribution to the success of Overlord. The one that I enjoyed the most is a restored German bunker of several levels with all manner of original equipment on display (ventilation, communications, armory, sleeping quarters, etc). None of the sites my wife, daughter of 20, and I visited in Normandy could ever be labeled a celebration of violence or bloodshed. This, in my opinion, is distinctly different from what one finds at Gettysburg, a battle site the same family members visited just two years ago.
Our family visited the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego over the Memorial Day. It was a sobering experience to see rows of grave stone along with an American flag on each one of them. New graves are being made that reminded us the continuing conflict in other continents. I remind my kids their great grandfather served in the Navy during WWII. He was never the same person after the war and seldom ever talked about the time he served. Today it is realized as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
@davidrmoran - amazing, moving story. Thanks for sharing. @BenWP - I've heard that said about many of the American Military Cemeteries in Europe. Each meticulously honored and cared for. Such a tribute.
@Mark You are welcome; thanks much for reading. Yeah, an unusual guy for sure. Actually in personality a bit of a cross (this does not come through so much in his writings) between Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man (worth seeing) and Hoffman in Rain Man. But so productive and initiative-taking. I got to know him fairly well, and as I have grandchildren who will live to perhaps 2130 barring mishap or endtimes, that's a span of ~~250y --- always sobering when I ponder it.
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I've probably posted this before:
https://davidrmoran.wordpress.com/
@BenWP - I've heard that said about many of the American Military Cemeteries in Europe. Each meticulously honored and cared for. Such a tribute.
Yeah, an unusual guy for sure. Actually in personality a bit of a cross (this does not come through so much in his writings) between Dustin Hoffman in Little Big Man (worth seeing) and Hoffman in Rain Man.
But so productive and initiative-taking.
I got to know him fairly well, and as I have grandchildren who will live to perhaps 2130 barring mishap or endtimes, that's a span of ~~250y --- always sobering when I ponder it.