D-Day commemoration

[Janh]

I saw this statue being unveiled on the news yesterday - it brought tears to my eyes.

I was born only 7 years after D-Day - we grew up with the war as part of our lives, even though we missed it all. (For most of my childhood I thought Germany was b&w, not colour!)

Wonderful TV coverage today (flicked between D Day and cricket). Very moving (apart from George Bush's laboured speech in the morning, presume he shot of to Juno or somewhere?). Loved the feeling of unity, the old soldiers with the young, the grandchildren and children, the importance of the other nations such as Canada, NZ etc etc.

message withdrawn

My dad was in the RAF and when D-Day happened he was in Italy. They had a song called "D-Day Dodgers" which basically explained that although they hadn't been in D-Day the fighting in Italy was just as fierce. He saw some horrendous things for such a young man (not much more than a boy really) and doesn't really speak of it, has told DH more than what he has told me or my mum. He has wonderful photos, his medals and some other momentos to hand down to ds twins (aged 2 1/2). I told them yesterday, when the Dakotas were on the TV, "There is Grandpa's planes." Very impressed, ds twin1 loves planes too!

The stories of the old men have had me sniffling, I can't imagine anyone the age they were then, doing the same now. And they are so matter-of-fact about it, very humbling. I think schoolchildren here should be taught more about the sacrifices made and how it has shaped this country. History is, after all, what makes us.

When we lived in the Netherlands we found out that once a year the local schoolchildren take flowers to place on each white grave. Seeing the amount of gravestones in those places was very, very sombering (mostly Market Garden casualties.)

The BBC coverage today was a bit drony in places, I switched to Sky News and saw the whole afternoon event, while the Beeb were based inside, missing most of it!

My uncle used to sing the D-Day Dodgers! I'll have to ask him for the words. I know its to the tune of Lili Marlene (I think?)

I have no story but can't think about it without the beginnings of a tear. Do you know that I managed to study history up to O level and never had a single lesson on the Second World War? I think that's an absolute disgrace.

Just watched it - wanted to watch it earlier but dds/dh prevented me. I wanted to weep. Ironic thing is that mum's (English) dad got killed and buryied in Italy, yet she married an Italian. Dad's dad's ship got torpeoed on the way to Canada. Mum married an Italian, what was a grandpa got killed by the what I think were allies. All sad ... and weepy to watch tonight.

I just wanted to add a note a little late I know. But I was at my father mass on sunday. Ironically he was in the dd day landing in Normandy. I cried all night and I knew how scared and frightened young man he was and faced death at such a young age and saw his friends killed in front of him. Sadly he never got to see Normandy again. He life and stories will live on through me. He had been given a dutch medal by a dutch soldier as he was the first british soldier he saw to liberate Holland. Can you imagine how that must have felt. We are so lucky not to have lived through that. A BIG THANKYOU DAD. larsXX