The older I get and the more I read and watch and learn about World War 2, the more I understand – and if not understand, then at least begin to comprehend – the immeasurable bravery of the men who fought, not for themselves, but for their families and friends and children and grandchildren and country. So that we can grow up and go to school and say what we want and choose who we want to be. Both my granddads were there in Normandy on D-Day; they both landed on Juno Beach.
Thinking about it makes me want to be a better person; it makes me want to earn what thousands of men fought – and thousands of men died – for. It makes me want to prove, in their memory, that we were worth it.
Forever remember and appreciate what they did for us. To those who died, RIP, and to all of them: thank you.
Some more fascinating photos here.
It is almost disturbing how we grow up and are raised to feel rather differently about those past events. While you are proud (and have reason to be), we were pretty much taught to feel shame about it all.
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No, no, I completely understand that. I did think as I was writing this about how it would appear to people in other countries. I have often wondered how WW2 history is taught in Germany and to see that you were 'taught to feel shame' is really interesting and maybe understandable? I guess it's still a strange subject because for many it's still in living memory. I never think of it as the 'Germans' who propagated WW2 anyway, but the Nazis and every country has hateful people like that (the BNP in the UK for example) - the Nazis just had more power.
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Well, we're taught all about WW2 from class 5 to 13 in History. We briefly covered the French Revolution and then the Industrial Revolution too but only because they led to other events in Germany that enabled the Nazi regime to gain so much power.
ReplyDeleteThe first weekend I lived in London, I went to the Imperial War Museum and had a rather nasty run in with some guy who figured I was German and thought it was rude I came to see the museum so close to Rembrance Day. At the time, I wasn't confident enough to speak up and just went away but I wish I could have discussed things with him at the time.
My mother often says that she doesn't understand how people, mostly from abroad, still refer to that period of history so often because it wasn't her generation or mine who committed the crimes or fought in that war; my only reply is that we keep our memories fresh so something like that will never happen again.
Very touching- I know what you mean about wanting to be a better person, it's so humbling when you think what people did during the war, not just the soldiers, but the "ordinary" people back home too.. x
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