God Bless America and Vive La France
Last night, the French Embassy in tribute to all the American fallen who gave their lives to fight Tyranny, showed an upcoming PBS documentary introduced by a French General on all the cemeteries in Europe of America's soldiers who died in WWI and WWII. The documentary
HALLOWED GROUNDS will air Monday, Memorial Day at 10pm or 11pm. (check local listings) on your PBS station. In DC that is WETA channel 26 at 11:00pm. In Maryland it airs Tuesday at 10pm on Channel 22. One producer Glenn Marcus told how his uncle perished in WWII in his early 20s and his father was said to never be the same since. As there are tens if not hundreds of thousands of soldiers in these graves in 24 graveyards around Europe and marble walls of lists of unfound missing soldiers, this story is not unique to Mr. Marcus. Many American families were devastated by both World Wars. As a huge percentage of them wished that their family members remained in the locations where they fell in the countries they served to liberate the US commissioned these cemeteries which are now maintained by a Monuments commission. They contain unique statuary and beautiful landscaping creating an environment of Peace- the Peace and liberation they fought to attain for Europe.
The documentary elicited an auditorium full of tears watching European after European thank Americans for their great heroism that saved them from Tyranny to allow them to be free. It is remarkable that this was but a generation or two ago and people alive remember serving with those in these graveyards. Each battle near one of these cemeteries is described briefly and famous people who rest in peace there are noted. Two of President Teddy Roosevelt's boys were killed in the world wars and they rest in peace near each other. General Patten's grave site is in Luxembourg. The Royalty of Luxembourg of the day considered that he saved their country and wanted to enshrine him in the capital Cathedral, but the Americans insist that all soldiers, regardless of rank or position,
have the same white Cross or white Star of David and rest in peace with their fallen compatriots. So as a compromise Patten's grave is front and center and isolated with a little fence at the head of the troop.
There is an extremely interesting segment on the cemetary in Tunisia that is universally respected by the (Moslem) Tunisian government and people who are grateful to America for their liberation; the North African front was one of the first theatres that America saw in WWII.
Boats were torpedoed off the North African coast in this invasion- and the Germans were ultimately driven out of North Africa.
While it may seem a bit grim to watch a documentary on cemeteries for a whole hour, it is an important exercise- because one is left with the appreciation of what astoundingly great cost it was to America to defeat pure evil. Tens if not hundreds of thousands of Americans lost their lives, with their families never the same, buried by the sands of Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, in Brittany, France, near the French Riviera, in Lorraine, France, in "Flanders Fields" Belgium, in England, in Florence, Italy, south of Rome in the "Sicily-Rome" cemetery, in Luxembourg and many other places. We took the European continent back from the Brink of Hell - and the fact that any of us live to tell about it is due to those people beneath the white Crosses and Stars of David.
Happy Memorial Day indeed.
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