MEMORIAL DAY - AND AN APOLOGY WITHDRAWN

[John81]

MEMORIAL DAY - AND AN APOLOGY WITHDRAWN


By Marilyn M. Barnewall
May 25, 2009
NewsWithViews.com

It is obvious to me that Barack Obama has little regard for the military? and no, I won?t call him ?President? until I see a real, honest-to-God birth certificate or see which nation?s Passport he used while traveling abroad as a college student. Was it American, British, or Kenyan? Neither document is difficult to produce.

He is just a young man and doesn?t seem to this old woman to be very wise? or even very aware of which citizens from which nation provided him the power he now wields so carelessly around the world.

To my European friends, I say the following:

A man who carries the official title of President of the United States recently came to your continent and made apologies for American arrogance. I ask that you accept that apology as coming from the man, not the nation. I, personally, feel no sense of obligation to offer you an apology for the energetic American entrepreneurial spirit? something about which you seem to have little understanding ? which is probably why you prefer socialism to capitalism.

You have my apologies for the behavior of the man who calls himself this nation?s President. On any given day, more Americans oppose his condescending behavior than approve it. He and his wife may not be proud of America. We, the people, are.

Memorial Day is special to us. This day, Americans honor heroes who died in our nation?s service ? and our European friends should honor them, too. So many American men died in service on European soil.

On May 5, 1868, General John Logan (as in Denver?s Fort Logan where my Dad served in WWII) proclaimed the existence of Memorial Day in General Order No. 11.

Graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery were first decorated on May 30, 1868.

Southern women decorated the graves of Confederate soldiers even before the War Between the States ended in 1865.

In 1873, the state of New York first officially recognized this holiday. By 1890, all Northern states recognized Memorial Day. The South honored their dead on different dates until after World War I.

It was then Memorial Day was changed to honor all soldiers who died in service of our country rather than those who died just during the War Between the States? or, as some call it, the Civil War.

Because of all the above, I found Barack Obama?s apologies to European nations for American arrogance to be particularly offensive. Arrogant men do not tread the shores of foreign nation and die for a cause called ?freedom.? Arrogant men do, however, minimize such efforts? and even apologize for them. Perhaps men who have not served their nation via military service do not understand such things. Being a military man is quite different than being a community organizer, I guess.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. If that be true, then I offer the following 20,000 words to explain why no apology from American to Europeans is necessary.

Article continues after the pictures. (You can view the pictures from link at bottom)


1 The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France; 2,289 American soldiers buried here


2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium; 5,329 American soldiers buried here


3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France; 4,410 American soldiers buried here


4. Brookwood, England American Cemetery; 468 Americans soldiers buried here


5. Cambridge, England; 3,812 American soldiers buried here


6. Epinal, France American Cemetery; 5,525 American soldiers buried here


7. Flanders Field, Belgium; 368 American soldiers buried here


8. Florence, Italy; 4,402 American soldiers buried here


9. Henri-Chapelle, Belgium; 7,992 American soldiers buried here


10. Lorraine, France; 10,489 American soldiers buried here


11. Luxembourg, Luxembourg; 5,076 American soldiers buried here


12. Meuse-Argonne; 14,246 American soldier buried here


13. Netherlands, Netherlands; 8,301 Americans buried here


14. Normandy, France; 9,387 American soldiers buried here


15. Oise-Aisne, France; 6,012 American soldiers buried here


16. Rhone, France; 861 American soldiers buried here


17. Sicily, Italy; 7,861 American soldiers buried here


18. Somme, France; 1,844 American soldiers buried here


19. St. Mihiel, France; 4,153 American soldiers buried here


20. Suresnes, France; 1,541 American soldiers buried here

This partial count? those American soldiers buried at these European cemeteries ? and that?s not all of them ? totals 104,366. And then, we have Arlington and all of the other veterans? cemeteries around America and Europe where our WWII (and WWI) veterans are buried.

Who owes whom an apology and for what? Maybe Europeans should apologize to Americans for not managing their governments well enough to avoid having to call on the United States to shed the blood of its youth on foreign soil?



I keep trying to think of things done for Americans by Europeans? and I know I?m getting old, but it is difficult to bring anything to mind.

You tell me who is arrogant!

http://www.newswithviews.com/Barnewall/marilyn106.htm

[JerryNumbers]

Whose arrogant, our president who has a wife who had never been proud of America until, do I really have to tell you until when?

Those foreign countries ask us to give and give, we have,ad we've been repaid with hate and a president who apologizes, yet the only thing he has to apologize for is his indifference towards America to Americans. But I fear that we haven't seen nothing yet, he is just getting started.

[Alimantado]

Who owes whom an apology and for what? Maybe Europeans should apologize to Americans for not managing their governments well enough to avoid having to call on the United States to shed the blood of its youth on foreign soil?

I would agree with this comment by the writer, but I also appreciate the irony of a right-winger making such a 'lefty' suggestion.

Personally, I think governments have a lot to answer for when they make war with other nations and cost men their lives. To my modern eyes, it almost looks like the rulers back in the time of the Great War thought they were playing a game of toy soldiers and in doing so wasted the lives of millions, mostly young men.

But, if HM Gov did apologise to the US and to our own subjects for making war with Germany twice, I could imagine all the lefties giving a big 'here, here' and all the tories exclaiming that there was nothing to apologise for, that the UK was right to defend its honour then and now, and that the apology was a typical 'liberal' sentiment.

As for not being grateful for American lives lost, all who fell in the wars fighting for freedom should be remembered for their sacrifice, no matter which country they were from.

[JerryNumbers]

I don't know that I can remember those who fought for Hitler as I do those Americas who helped squash his effort to take over the world on foreign soil. Because of Hitler and his Army many innocent lives were snuffed out.

But that said, I'm very thankful for those soldiers who served in countries as UK and others who had a part in stopping that evil man. I'm just proud the Allied Forces had the resolve to win World War 2 and stop all of the evil forces.

No, I can't put those who served and fought against the Allied Forces even close to the feelings I have for our Allied Forces for they were an evil force. All I can do is thank God that the Allied Forces prevailed against those evil forces from Germany and Japan.

[Alimantado]

No' date=' I can't put those who served and fought against the Allied Forces even close to the feelings I have for our Allied Forces for they were an evil force.[/quote']
I think you read a lot more into my post than was actually there, Jerry, for it never included such a request. The 'fighting for freedom' part of my post was important.

Good to speak to you again, btw.

[HappyChristian]

all who fell in the wars fighting for freedom should be remembered for their sacrifice, no matter which country they were from.

[JerryNumbers]

Sorry. :ooops

<<"As for not being grateful for American lives lost, all who fell in the wars fighting for freedom should be remembered for their sacrifice, no matter which country they were from.">>

I thought that was including both Germany and Japan. Thanks for setting me straight.

[Wilchbla]

Europe has been one of the bloodies most oppressive continents on the planet, really, probably the most, yet for some reason we always are told we should be like them. The fact is that our treatment of minority races like the Indians and our imperialistic ways was behavior we learned well from them.

[John81]

Europe has been one of the bloodies most oppressive continents on the planet' date=' really, probably the most, yet for some reason we always are told we should be like them. The fact is that our treatment of minority races like the Indians and our imperialistic ways was behavior we learned well from them.[/quote']

Not really. Wicked people are wicked people wherever they reside. Consider the oppresive, bloody and cruel history of Asia. Consider the bloody domination of the Aztecs who conquered peoples and then sacrificed them by the hundreds and thousands in very bloodly and torturous rituals. How about the bloody spread of Islam through war and terror; including their attempts to conquer and convert Europe; which includes centuries of occupation of portions of Europe.

Europe has it's high points and low points as does Asia, North America, etc.

Post World War Two Europeans have tended toward liberal socialism and like their cousins here in America, they have a very haughty attitude in that they think they are all-wise and could establish paradise on earth if only everyone else would stop getting in their way.

[deputydog530]

Good posts all.

I wanted to comment on the German army of ww2. At the end of the war, the Wheremechet (regular German Army) had mostly turned on Hitler and the SS. They surrendered in droves to the Americans for they knew the terror awaiting them in Russian prison camps. A woman I worked with, her dad was drafted into the regular German Army at 14. He walked 3 days to surrender to Americans. He lives in our town and is a tailor. What a Great guy.

Anyway, my point is that there were several German units that actually fought alongside US forces against pockets of SS soldiers that were attempting genocide of french and enlish prisoners. Many Germans gave thier lives fighting with US forces at the end. Many have said "we thought we were fighting for a good Germany. We realized it was a bad Germany". WW2 was a true battle of Good verses Evil.

I believe the same is true of the war on Terror. I salute our soldiers and civilians whove gave their lives that I might live free. How long we will be free is unknown with a President that wont even salute our flag.

DD

[Invicta]

There were also many east Europeans who were drafted into the German forces against their will. When they tried to surrender, they were shot in the back and so continued to fight.

Also remember that Europeans were often deported to Germany as slave workers. We once had a house in France and our farmer neighbour once said that he had been sent to Germany during the war but would not talk about it. When we bought our house we asked if we had a street number but were told "No. you tell the mayor and he tells the postman where to deliver your mail. When we later had a telephone installed, we notice that the map the installer referred to had street numbers. When I mentioned that to the neighbour, he said "We don't use those, they were given to us by the Germans."

I suggest that anyone who visits France goes to the Citadel at Besan

[Wilchbla]

Not really. Wicked people are wicked people wherever they reside. Consider the oppresive, bloody and cruel history of Asia. Consider the bloody domination of the Aztecs who conquered peoples and then sacrificed them by the hundreds and thousands in very bloodly and torturous rituals. How about the bloody spread of Islam through war and terror; including their attempts to conquer and convert Europe; which includes centuries of occupation of portions of Europe.

Europe has it's high points and low points as does Asia, North America, etc.

Post World War Two Europeans have tended toward liberal socialism and like their cousins here in America, they have a very haughty attitude in that they think they are all-wise and could establish paradise on earth if only everyone else would stop getting in their way.

Asia kept most of their business within Asia. Europe spread it all over the globe. And even the Japanese learned their imperialistic ways from the West. We brought their military into moderns times and supplied them the sjunk iron that made their ships and bombs. The Aztecs killed other Aztecs. The Moslems actually showed more mercr over those they defeated then the Europeans did over the Moslems. But as far as controlling the globe Europe has always been the most aggressive. Your two bloodies wars in history were in Europe.

[Wilchbla]

Good posts all.

I wanted to comment on the German army of ww2. At the end of the war, the Wheremechet (regular German Army) had mostly turned on Hitler and the SS. They surrendered in droves to the Americans for they knew the terror awaiting them in Russian prison camps. A woman I worked with, her dad was drafted into the regular German Army at 14. He walked 3 days to surrender to Americans. He lives in our town and is a tailor. What a Great guy.

Anyway, my point is that there were several German units that actually fought alongside US forces against pockets of SS soldiers that were attempting genocide of french and enlish prisoners. Many Germans gave thier lives fighting with US forces at the end. Many have said "we thought we were fighting for a good Germany. We realized it was a bad Germany". WW2 was a true battle of Good verses Evil.

I believe the same is true of the war on Terror. I salute our soldiers and civilians whove gave their lives that I might live free. How long we will be free is unknown with a President that wont even salute our flag.

DD

Actually, one main reason the Germans surrendered to the West is that they thought we would help them defeat the Russians.

[Wilchbla]

There were also many east Europeans who were drafted into the German forces against their will. When they tried to surrender, they were shot in the back and so continued to fight.

.

At least this is what they say now. But a large number of Europeans supported Hitler because they hated Stalin. Many joined willingly. Hitler didn't capitalize on this. He should have treated those he defeated with kindness since they supported him over Stalin. Even many of the Russians welcome the Germans at first until the Germans started to kill them. Try reading the "Forgotten Soldier" which was written by a Frenchman who served in the Wermarcht.

[deputydog530]

Actually, one main reason the Germans surrendered to the West is that they thought we would help them defeat the Russians.

yep that is one of many reasons.