The real Memorial Day....

[lewdandlicentious]

I've just come back from a working holiday in Italy. Part of the trip was spent visiting some of the War cemetaries there.

Here are a couple of pictures of the American war cemetary near Rome.

 

[oggbashan]

My wife's uncle is buried on the other side of Italy.

He was a 'D-Day dodger' and died of wounds and exposure in the snow.

Og

 

[lewdandlicentious]

And another.

The white masses in the distance are gravestones. There are thousands of them!

 

[lewdandlicentious]

We also visited some British and Commonwealth war cemetaries. In case some of you Americans forgot, The British were there too!

This one is from the War Cematary at Salerno!

 

[lewdandlicentious]

This one is from the British and Commonwealth war cemetary at Cassino.

 

[lewdandlicentious]

OK, got that one wrong and can't add to it.

This one is from Cassino.

 

[Guest]

We also visited some British and Commonwealth war cemetaries. In case some of you Americans forgot, The British were there too!

This one is from the War Cematary at Salerno!

They sure were! My Grandad fought in Italy during WWII and even saw Mussolini's body hanging in the town square, after his public flogging.

Thanks for sharing these pics, Lew. Very poignant.

Oh, and it's good to have you back.

Lou

 

[lewdandlicentious]

It's good to be back Honey.

This thread just being here on my return from such a memorable trip is too much a coincidence to ignore.

Just to illustrate the other side of the picture, this one was taken in the German war cemetary near Rome. It holds 20,000.

 

[ABSTRUSE]

Welcome home Lew, thank you for sharing these pictures, very fitting and very moving.

 

[cloudy]

Thanks, Lew, for posting these for us.

 

[lewdandlicentious]

Thanks for the welcome Ladies.

Although it's great to get away, it's always good to come home.

This one is a picture from distance of the Polish War cemetary near Monte Cassino.

It's not a brilliant view, but I post it to illustrate that there were many countries involved in the war to free Europe.

 

[Jagged]

"May the wings of liberty never lose a feather....."

Thanks everyone for posting the personal stories especially. Those though there are many are each important to history. They dedicated the the long over due memorial today in Washington today....


I do hope this thread continues on beyond today. There are million stories and poems, and thoughts to be shared.


It would be nice if we posted them all.


To all those on Lit who did your part.........thank you


Being a firefighter I once met a member of Special Forces who was a veteran of service overseas. I thanked him and said how I admired his service. He was amazed that I would considering what I did for a living. That was probably the greatest complement I could be payed.

One elite brotherhood respecting another.

 

[rgraham666]

Salerno, Monte Cassino. Those names always bring a chill to my spine. Not as sharp a one as Stalingrad, Leningrad or Berlin, but the only difference is of intensity, not type.

Lewd, the pictures of the German cemetery reminded me of a show on CBC (Canadian Broadcast Corporation) about a reunion of veterans of Otrona. Both Canadians and Germans attended. This show proved once again that there is a 'Loyal and Fraternal Brotherhood of Them What Has Been Shot At'. Fifty years on, they didn't remember they were enemies, but that they were brothers.

As are we all. There would be no war if we could just remember that.

 

[lewdandlicentious]

Never a truer word spoken, but as we all know too well, life isn't like that, and it ain't ever likely to be so.

Sad but true.

 

[Black Tulip]

In the Netherlands Memorial Day is May 4th. Every city has its own silent march, in my city from the monument for the Jews that were transported to the gaschambers to the statue of St. Joris (George) and the Dragon in the center of the city, about 30 minutes walking. At 20.00 hours sharp there's a two minutes silence, in some cities observed by public transportation as well.
It used to be for the victims of WWII, but is now grown into remembering all soldiers and all victims.

Every year children in the age of 12-15 years old assist veterans who come over from Canada (the city I live in was liberated by the Canadians) when they go to pay their respect to their fallen comrades. I was very proud my son was asked two years in a row. And it made him realize even better what it is all about.

Tomorrow there will be a memorial service in Margraten, the big American military cemetery in the south of the country, 16.000 crosses.

http://www.brunssum.net/~mousetra/historie/margraten/Margraten-luchtfoto.jpg

The best part for me is that since a few years it is possible for Germans to share remembering with us.

 

[wideeyedgrin]

The UK's Remembrance Day is November 11th.

On the nearest Sunday we parade to the War Memorial for the two minute silence and a short service and then a longer service in a church.

Many also respect the two minute silence on the actual 11th at 11am GMT.

But we remember them more often than that. We don't need to wait until one day in the year. The War Memorial often has fresh flowers, some from soldiers' funerals, some from individuals on the anniversary of their loved one's sacrifice.

Apart from our War Memorial, we have the War Memorial Park, the avenue, the ornate gates, the plaques in schools for former pupils, the graves in our cemeteries.

They are always with us.

Og

Remembrance Day here is celebrated as Veterens Day, also on November 11th. It is both a larger and smaller event as there is snow in many areas and parades have a difficult time parading.

Memorial Day grew out of Decoration Day, which was to honor the Civil War dead. If you visit Arlington National Cemetary, or Gettysburg Battleground, you get a sense of the history of this. Just about every town where I live has a war memorial for the Civil War and World War I. World War 2 is usually added to that monument.

 

[lewdandlicentious]

In England, nearly if not every village has a war memorial. Certainly any that lost villagers in either war.

 

[bamagirl]

There is another thread on this site devoted to soldiers past and present.Please see Eagles Cry where we have posted lots of poems and storys.

https://forum.literotica.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=242244&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

 

[bamagirl]

Remember the men who fought and died
On the shores of Tripoli.
They gave their lives in a far-away land
To keep America Free.

The Great War took many of our soldiers
In the trenches to the east.
They fought gallantly for the cause of freedom
So that we might live in peace.

The D-Day invasion was a solem time,
So many of our soldiers lost.
Their bravery, as they stormed that beach
Brought us victory with enormous costs.

Korea, Vietnam, Lebanon,
And the desert across the sea
Where our soldiers have given their lives
To protect us and set others free.

Today I honor these soldiers
Who fought with Valor and Gallantry.
They paid the price for my freedom
In the wars across the sea.

FREEDOM COMES WITH A PRICE
REMEMBER THEM ALL

Poem by: G. Alexander

 

[Jagged]

A nice well put poem......thanks for posting.

 

[wideeyedgrin]

Let me see if I can do this.

 

[wideeyedgrin]

This is a monument to a British General that served in the Pentagon during WW2. Unfortunately I did not get his name in the picture.

 

[wideeyedgrin]

This is part of the Korean War Monument. This monument honors all of the supporting countries that were involved in that fight.

 

[snooper]

In England, nearly if not every village has a war memorial. Certainly any that lost villagers in either war.

Oh, there are more than that. near where I live there is a War Memorial to the fallen of the village of Troedrhiwfuwch. A small village, so there is only one name. There is still a service there every year on Remembrance Day. The odd thing is there are no houses of the old village still standing, nor the pub, nor the church.

The preservation of war graves in the huge cemetaries is impressive, but some years ago I visited Flers d'Orne in France where I was interested to see a small grave just beside the road up to Cerisy-Belle-Étoile. No cemetary, no chapel, no signs, no name, just a grave, gravestone and fresh flowers.

When I asked whose it was, the reply was, "We are still trying to find out. We think he was Canadian, but we aren't sure. He was shot down during the war, and we buried him here to keep his body from the Germans."

When I asked about the flowers, my host was visibly shocked. "Of course we put flowers on his grave. He died for us."

 

[oggbashan]

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

If you don't know about it already, this site is worth visiting.

Commomwealth War Graves Commission

You can find where every British soldier is buried and print off a memorial citation.

Og