Thanks Veterans All, everywhere! I read today about the Dutch, and their paying tribute to our war dead when we honor them here in the US, it was a very touching article. And Happy Decoration Day, as they used to say. <BR>Judy

Judy: Thanks for posting this. I wanted to do so, but didn't, so I appreciate your initiative. My husband and brother are Viet Nam vets and I thank them all the time. I called my 84 year old father this morning, as I always do on Memorial Day, and thanked him for his efforts in WWII. He served in the Army medical corp in England ferrying people out of London and to a hospital in Blandford for about three years. Up until recently he and other officers who met yearly for reunions would go to Blandford every 3-4 years. The reaction to their visit from the townspeople was a constant reinforcement for him and others of the bond that was formed through adversity. We are so lucky and time is running out to thank them.

Thanks for remembering Judyand for reminding us what Memorial is really all about. <BR>Mom and I will be in Antwerp, Belgium next week. It will be a bit heartrendering as that is where my father was during the Battle of the Bulge. I am sure many, many tears will be shed. <BR>BTW, The Dutch are paying tribute to a local gentleman from my area. Seems he is quite a hero. He will be in Amsterdam while I am there and we hope to meet up with him. <BR>Thanks again!

Yesterday I visited the grave of my departed Father. <BR> <BR>He was an officer in the US Army and was *very* much a part of the Normandy invasion. <BR> <BR>He was reluctant to talk about his past experiences in WWII, but he did share some stories toward the tail end of his life. <BR> <BR>Toward the tail end of the war in late 44 or perhaps in the spring of 45,He and his men liberated a small work camp that was occupied by Soviet, Polish prisoners and Jewish prisoners. <BR> <BR>The men were in pitiful condition he told me. He said: No human should ever be treated this way! <BR> <BR>I know this is a touchy subject since we now have great relations with modern day Germany, but this was history and we should NEVER forget what the vets did in the past. All Vets!! All wars!!! <BR> <BR>Since my Great Grandfather was German, I also have a pride in my German heritage as well! <BR> <BR>Just remember the heroes. Remember them!

My Dad, an Irishman, fought with the British army in WW2. He was 16 when he signed up. My condolences to all who lost loved ones in any of the wars. <BR>A.M.

This may sound like a stupid question,but the U.S. has both Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. What is the difference. Veteran's Day corresponds to our (Canadian) Remembrance Day. I realize this is the European forum, but since the thread is here .........

Veteran's day: <BR>11 day, 11 month, 11 hours. Celebrates the end of WWI The war to end all wars. Established in 1918 <BR>Armistice Day was it's orginal name <BR>Memeorial day (Decoration Day) was established to honor veterans of all wars established in 1867

Memorial day remembers those heroes who died in war. Many grave site services are usually conducted on this day. <BR> <BR>The American Veterans day remembers all of the past Veterans (alive and departed) of all wars American soldiers were involved in. <BR> <BR>I just took the time to remember my Father who participated in WWll, even though he made it through that war without a scratch.

<BR>Information courtesy of <BR>www.veteransday.com <BR>www.memorialday.com <BR>Read both. some interesting stuff. Knowledge we should all have.

Judy, <BR>I would like to read the Dutch article to which you refer. Was it about the American cemetary in Maastricht? Thanks.

Paul, I read about part of the Dutch tribute, in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution(ajc.com), letters to the editor section. It was a personal reflection from young Dutch man after WWII. FYI, Judy

Thanks, Judy. <BR>That was a poignant letter. For those wishing to know more about the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten (near Maastricht) go to <BR>http://www.USABMC.com/ne.htm

My father served in WWII in the Royal Naval Reserve in the North Atlantic. His father, a merchant marine captain, took his ships on the Murmansk run. Both of my grandfathers served in WWI. My maternal grandfather was gassed in the trenches in N. France. This left him with absolutely no sense of smell. I didn't know this until I was about sixteen. As children, we would bring him flowers from the garden to smell and he always said how lovely the scent was. My father died in 1964, at the age of 39. Both grandfathers have also died.

I was nine when the war ended. But I do want you North Americans to know that I know what you did. Without you, we'd now be in Hitler's Europe. <BR> <BR>Thank you <BR> <BR>Ben Haines, London

Thank you Ben: <BR>That was lovely!

I attended a Baltimore Orioles game on Memorial Day, and at 3 p.m., we were asked to stand an observe a one minute silence to honor our dead soldiers. However, instead of silence, the loud speaker blared some speech, and then Taps was played. Guess my definition of silence is somewhat different than the Orioles' organization.

Good one Judy ! <BR>topping this for tomorrow, the real Memorial/ Decoration Day. <BR>

Dear Ben, <BR>Thanks so much, my father was a WW2 vet, my grandfather a WW1 vet. For myself I can say thanks to all of the valiant people who fought on BOTH sides of the Atlantic, (Or Pacific or N. Africa or wherever). We, the younger generation owe them all great deal of appreciation.

Judy, <BR>Thank you so very much for starting this thread. <BR> <BR>To Mr. Ben Haines, my dad (still with us) served in WWII in the Canadian navy. He said without question, the toughest fighting men he ever met were British, because he said they could have the stuffing beaten out of them & still maintain the stiff upper lip, for which they had always been known. <BR> <BR>As the only "natural born" (as opposed to "naturalized") American in my family, I do want to say that it is a day to remember & reflect. Freedom & a free society come at a price, as everything does. We enjoy freedom today, because some valiant people were willing to pay that price with their very lives. In the American Revolutionary War, people were unwilling to submit to unfair taxation, and committed themselves to an ideal of a democracy. In the American Civil War, people fought so others would know a kind of liberty all should know; a liberty from slavery & oppression. In both World Wars, peoples of different countries banded together to preserve a freer world & civilization. None of us would be here, in the kind of world we enjoy, unless some had made the ultimate sacrifice ahead of our time. <BR> <BR>Peace & Good Tidings to All, and my most profound sympathy to any who lost a loved one in any military action, <BR> <BR>Kathy