Lest we forget
There are those places in Belgium, Holland and France were you can be upon British, Canadian, American and Polish ground without leaving the country. These are the cemetaries dedicated to those who gave their live for us during WWII. Last month I visited the landing beaches in Normandy. I had never been there before and during this tour we took them all in. When I stood there overlooking pointe du hoc I had to think of the young men on the ships who saw those cliffs and knew they would have to climb them. It was madness and yet they went. For many of them it was not their own country they came to free, but they went. And many of them died down there
on the early morning of June the 6th so that I can now write this blog in freedom. We went to those fields were they lie forever now. There is colleville sur mer. The graveyard lies overlooking the beaches, it is a lovely spot. Here the American fallen lay. They lay in neat rows of white crosses. On the stones there is a name and the dates. As you walk past an image sticks in your mind, so young, 18, 19, they never really had the chance to live. Boys form small tow
n USA coming over here on the big adventure. They stayed in France for ever.
The next day at Bayeux we came to the British cemetary. Above it in Latin it says, 'we who were conquered by William now return to free you.' Very moving, the circle of history closing. And this cemetery blew me away. I had been moved at Colleville but at the same time it was clinical, the crosses, the grass not a blade out of place. Here on this little piece o Britain the wild flowers grow amongst the grave, making it feel almost cozy. Again the names of the young men on the stones, but what blew me away were the personal messages added. "I will miss you forever", "For our beloved daddy" And here standing next to these graves I could not keep from crying.
I say as long as there is even one veteran left alive who wants to come we keep honoring them. We keep remembering what they did and we keep telling the stories of war, in the hope it will keep us from making the same mistakes over and over. It is through history that we can learn for our future to keep the peace.
on the early morning of June the 6th so that I can now write this blog in freedom. We went to those fields were they lie forever now. There is colleville sur mer. The graveyard lies overlooking the beaches, it is a lovely spot. Here the American fallen lay. They lay in neat rows of white crosses. On the stones there is a name and the dates. As you walk past an image sticks in your mind, so young, 18, 19, they never really had the chance to live. Boys form small tow
n USA coming over here on the big adventure. They stayed in France for ever.The next day at Bayeux we came to the British cemetary. Above it in Latin it says, 'we who were conquered by William now return to free you.' Very moving, the circle of history closing. And this cemetery blew me away. I had been moved at Colleville but at the same time it was clinical, the crosses, the grass not a blade out of place. Here on this little piece o Britain the wild flowers grow amongst the grave, making it feel almost cozy. Again the names of the young men on the stones, but what blew me away were the personal messages added. "I will miss you forever", "For our beloved daddy" And here standing next to these graves I could not keep from crying.
I say as long as there is even one veteran left alive who wants to come we keep honoring them. We keep remembering what they did and we keep telling the stories of war, in the hope it will keep us from making the same mistakes over and over. It is through history that we can learn for our future to keep the peace.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
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