Kris
Wild in the Streets
When the world gets in my face, I say... Have a nice day!
Posts: 1,650
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Post by Kris on Jun 6, 2009 8:04:28 GMT -6
Ok, just watching the D-Day remembrance on TV. Of course I have to watch it on CNN or BBC, because no German channel is showing it live now, which makes me rather mad, I have to say. Ok, no German politician was invited...never as far as I know, but I also wouldn't understand it when they would it, because today the brave men who fought against Germany are honored there in the Normandie.
I think especially we Germans have to be really, really, thankful that they came and rescued us. You can't say it another way. Just think about it a second, how would the world look like when they didn't. I would probably not write this now.
If you have the chance to listen to the speeches of the Candian Prime minister or Gordon Brown or President Obama do it!
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Post by totallysambora on Jun 6, 2009 9:24:30 GMT -6
Its good to a German say this Kris. I think very often the ordinary German people get forgotten in these memorials, but they were just as affected by it as the French and the British people were. As usual it was the politicians who fucked it all up for the normal people and who were the one who suffered?
I'll be watching the service on BBC in a few minutes and will pay my respects to the men who fought, my grandfather and a few oter relatives among them.
I'm glad that you posted this Kris, I think in England there are still too many people who hate the Germans for the war, and thats just stupid as its so long ago now.
Oh, and for the record, I don't know what all the fuss was about the Queen going or not. As long as we are represented does it really matter if it's an expenses claiming politician or a member of royalty who is also out of touch with the regular people.
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Kris
Wild in the Streets
When the world gets in my face, I say... Have a nice day!
Posts: 1,650
|
Post by Kris on Jun 6, 2009 10:54:38 GMT -6
My grand-grandfather was in WWII...he was in France and got arrested by the US troops, they brought him to Pennsilvania. For the rest of the war he was working on a farm and garthered apples. He said once he never understood why they were in France. He took a lot of pics there and was putting them into army books and protocols, because he couldn't get any photoalbums. They would have probably shoot him when they found out...I was curious and wanted to know what is under those pics and was shocked when I read :"When you meet the leader..." He simply put the photos of France over the protocol.
I have to tell you, I would have really understand it when the Queen herself went to France. She was a teenager during WWII. I saw something about the Royal family on TV a couple weeks ago and they showed those pics with her working on the truck a.s.o. But Charles there...for me he looked a bit lost and uninterested. Sorry, don't like him a lot.
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Post by totallysambora on Jun 6, 2009 12:25:22 GMT -6
Don't think many people like him so you're not alone. The queen actually took a large role in the war, she worked for the army. She could have gone but I'm sure she's done a lot of this stuff before.
Soudns like your Grandfather coul have got himself in real trouble if anyone had seen his protocol, can you imagine it! My Grandfather went to Burma too, and somehow he has photos of the Japanese surrender, no idea how he got them!
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Kris
Wild in the Streets
When the world gets in my face, I say... Have a nice day!
Posts: 1,650
|
Post by Kris on Jun 6, 2009 13:13:34 GMT -6
I have no idea how they did it. And it's my mother's grandfather.
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Post by norwichliz on Jun 6, 2009 17:38:38 GMT -6
Two of my uncles fought in WW II. One in the army - he went over with the first troops from Canada in 1939, and one in the navy. Thankfully they both came home safely. They would never talk much about it though. They have now both passed on.
A few years ago I asked the uncle that was in the navy where he was on D-Day. He was on a frigate in the North Sea. They weren't told about the invasion until it had already started.
The uncle that was in the army spent the entire war in England. He was a messenger. I keep picturing him on a motorcycle touring around - and if you knew what he looked like with his thick glasses (his eye doctor could never figure out how he even got accepted into the army), you'd understand why that visual makes me laugh. It would be like something out of an old movie. He was involved with Dunkirk though and went over to help pick up the soldiers.
I'm glad they do these memorials. I think people need to be reminded of what can happen and why we don't want it to.
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