Re: [MV] Omaha Beach revisited

From: Dave Ball (vought@msn.com)
Date: Fri May 03 2002 - 00:51:39 PDT


The purpose of landing on Normandy was to establish a beach head. the Allies
liberated France (although without American equipment and men it would not
have happened). The French surrendered there homeland to Hitler.
What next turn the US cemeteries in Normandy into vineyards? (They are US
soil)
The French I met while visiting Normandy were still very grateful and
thankful young and old alike.
I learned not all of the French surrenendered but continued to fight
(sabotage is a French word). I bet if you were to ask those freedom fighters
they would piss on the mussel farm idea.

WE MUST NEVER FORGET.

Dave
vought@msn.com

----- Original Message -----
From: <bolton8@juno.com>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2002 7:07 PM
Subject: Re: [MV] Omaha Beach revisited

> > 5/1/02, Pete & Renee Davis wrote:
> > >That was pretty much my first reaction, too.
> > >
>
> After much ruminating over the topic being discussed, I share the same
> feelings. Upon reading the first posting of this thread I was initially
> shocked, followed by disgust over the very idea: Turning part of Omaha
> Beach into a mussel farm !! It revived thoughts of a previous thread
> concerning the salvaging of underwater 'scrap metal' just off the shore
> of Normandy. These thoughts were then tempered by the following
> postings generally saying: Wasn't that the purpose of invading Normandy
> to begin with? To give France back to the French, so they can do with
> their country and their shoreline as they wish?
>
> But overall, it appears to me that these feelings are generational.
> Tom Brokaw's description 'The Greatest Generation' summed it up quite
> eloquently. However a vast majority of this generation has already
> passed into the mists of time, taking their emotions and memories with
> them. Their deeds and accomplishments are remembered most passionately
> by the Baby Boomers, who heard the stories first hand from their fathers
> and uncles who were there. The Greatest Generation's grand- and great-
> grandchildren think of Normandy as some word that's repeated alot in the
> movie 'Saving Private Ryan' or "The Longest Day". Thus the news
> release of turning Dog Beach into a mussel farm only causes these kids to
> roll their eyes and turn the channel back to MTV. But can you imagine
> the reaction and emotional outrage there would have been, if such a
> concept was proposed in 1955 or 1964?
>
> My point being, as each generation 'who was there' fades from the
> scene, their accomplishments and emotional attachment to 'there' fades
> from the collective memory with the passing of each future generation.
> How many of today's generation would voice serious discontent if a
> developer started clearing trees in Belleau Wood to build tract homes?
> How many of today's generation would even know WHERE Belleau Wood is,
> much less WHAT it was? Currently a real estate developer has been
> trying to obtain outlying sections of the Gettysburg fields, and about
> two years ago there was an attempt to build a 'Manasses Theme Park',
> complete with boat rides around the theme
> park and "appropriately costumed vendors" within. The only groups that
> passionately opposed and fought this park were the Civil War Re-enactors
> Groups.
>
> I wonder what the Normandy beach will look like on June 6th 2044, or
> Gettysburg on July 3rd 2063, or midtown Manhattan September 11th 2101.
>
> LANCE
>
>
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