Fréjus, France

Fréjus, France
Aqueduc Romain

Saturday, June 6, 2009

D-Day

Last month we got the chance to see Sarkozy on a very important day here, May 8, the day Germany signed an unconditional surrender giving France it's country back. Today, in Normandy, Barack Obama and his wife came to honor the 65th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy, France. The number of veterans from WWII are shrinking each year, and like them and most historians, I believe these efforts are worth remembering if only so we can avoid a repeat of such a monstrous loss of life. Over 160,000 Allied troops stormed the shores that day with almost 10,000 of them losing their lives. This event led directly to the retaking of France from the Nazis and 11 months later to the defeat of Germany.

I know that we have felt very honored to be in France watching Barack make history back home! It feels good to have an intelligent diplomatic leader and watching him and Michelle on TV this morning, along with the Sarkozys, here in France made us feel connected to these two countries we love. We stayed in Normandy for a week upon our arrival last summer and visited Omaha Beach and the massive cemetary so I have a few photos.





Irie is always so excited to see BarrackO, and as you'll hear on the video she can't get over how "pretty" Michelle is. The video is simply Irie filming the TV so the quality is not great, but for those of you interested enough to watch, you can get a glimpse of french TV and how events like this are covered here.

3 comments:

Bill and Karen Browne said...

Lest we forget.

Ken said...

I read a book a few years ago called The Fatherland. It was a depiction of what the world would have been like if the Third Reich had prevailed in WWII.

To me the scenario wasn't much different than that created by Orwell in Big Brother, only with fascism as the underlying theme. That outcome would have been horrific for all of us.

My grandfather (who died last September) fought for the liberation of Europe in an anti tank unit of the US Army. In his later years he shared many first hand accounts of his experiences. He earned 3 Bronze Stars and other decorations for his heroics. Many soldiers lost their lives or were permantly maimed by the war.

To me, the greatest irony of the war was the disruption to families, homes, and towns. I cannot fathom what it would be like to have a battle rage through your town, or backyard.

Perhaps this is an example of why we need to keep this history fresh in our minds and ensure that we have clear thinking leaders in our nation states. So that we don't experience it again.

Anonymous said...

Was in Ashland today-missing you all, knowing soon....I'll be seeing you.

LOVE

Athena