tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post5594982020966971130..comments2024-01-11T18:40:24.112-06:00Comments on Julie Farrar: A Thanksgiving For Those Who Fought On The Beaches of NormandyJulie Farrarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08810771028650707072noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-30391425161809874592013-12-02T06:16:26.772-06:002013-12-02T06:16:26.772-06:00I can tell you that my grandfather still speaks wi...I can tell you that my grandfather still speaks with tears in his eyes when he remembers the end of WW2.The French population has a huge respect for what happened on D-Day. There is a museum to visit in Le Havre too, and it is worth the travel.<br />Happy Thanksgiving!Murielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07669453005443249990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-11884136263697879362013-11-29T11:53:57.383-06:002013-11-29T11:53:57.383-06:00Such a great post. It should be published in a mag...Such a great post. It should be published in a magazine, truly. Thanks for highlighting this important piece of history through your words and photos. Tami Claytonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13270751386180642544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-49755701455166699812013-11-28T17:49:13.056-06:002013-11-28T17:49:13.056-06:00Julie, Thanks for your post. I was fortunate to t...Julie, Thanks for your post. I was fortunate to take my high school son a few years ago to Normandy, and we had to follow the path of the allies because of his interest in WWII. When we toured the beaches, etc. it was a small group of 5 people and we were fortunate to have a veteran from D day with us, he still had the letter from Eisenhower in his pocket and made quite an impact on all of us. When we ate lunch at a little trailer on the beach, our guide insisted on introducing him to the owner and she came out to hug and thank him. It was a very human moment and one that brings tear to me every time I think about. He also didn't recognize the beaches, so our guide, who was a very young french man - kept taking us further until it was familiar to him. The trip was an amazing life lesson and I am so thankful that I could take my son on it.<br /><br />Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-73649317465248029072013-11-28T15:19:34.116-06:002013-11-28T15:19:34.116-06:00I'm grateful to my grandparents. When the war ...I'm grateful to my grandparents. When the war came to Russia, both families lived in Moldavia. My dad was 14, my mom was 8. Both of my grandfathers took their families away - evacuated, even though both their wives didn't want to go. The war was supposed to last for a couple of months - why leave home? Fortunately, both men insisted. If they didn't, I wouldn't have existed. I'm Jewish, and no Jews survived under the Nazi occupation. All their relatives who didn't leave died. 100%. That's lots of aunts and cousins.<br />My grandparents didn't fight in the army. They fought to keep their children alive. One of my grandmothers remembered that she boarded a train that took her to Kazakhstan, their evacuation place, with a suitcase of summer clothing (it was summer), a kettle and a night pot. And two children - 8 and 3. They had to stay away from home for almost four years, living in terrible conditions and utmost poverty. But they kept my parents alive. I'm thankful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-3452103484484474872013-11-28T08:40:27.309-06:002013-11-28T08:40:27.309-06:00Your comments are poignant and so true, Julie. Vis...Your comments are poignant and so true, Julie. Visiting the Normandy beaches and spending a day with the well-trained and educated guides is an experience not to be missed, if possible. The emotional impact of the realities of those times is powerful and unforgettable. Patriciahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05412397722654867858noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-75291280320987104182013-11-28T06:59:21.487-06:002013-11-28T06:59:21.487-06:00Wonderful post Love!
Personally I have encountere...Wonderful post Love!<br /><br />Personally I have encountered nothing but gratitude from French folks about the US role in WWII. Sure many people get angry at the US for some of our government's policies but most of those people love and respect the US. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05288016215852419881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-49157485744290869142013-11-28T06:23:55.428-06:002013-11-28T06:23:55.428-06:00Julie, first, Happy Thanksgiving. I have been to ...Julie, first, Happy Thanksgiving. I have been to the places you write about today and it literally took my breath away. There are not words to express the feelings and reverence you feel while visiting the cemetery, the beaches and the whole area. How horrible it must have been those men and then for their families. Everyone should go and see to really realize what took place. Always read and heard about the war but visiting that part of France brought it to full knowledge for me.<br /><br />Regards,<br />CatherineCatherinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-64099707073293581112013-11-28T06:23:54.088-06:002013-11-28T06:23:54.088-06:00Julie, first, Happy Thanksgiving. I have been to ...Julie, first, Happy Thanksgiving. I have been to the places you write about today and it literally took my breath away. There are not words to express the feelings and reverence you feel while visiting the cemetery, the beaches and the whole area. How horrible it must have been those men and then for their families. Everyone should go and see to really realize what took place. Always read and heard about the war but visiting that part of France brought it to full knowledge for me.<br /><br />Regards,<br />CatherineCatherinenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-88426948453968893762013-11-27T10:28:56.329-06:002013-11-27T10:28:56.329-06:00I second your reaction to the beaches. As for the ...I second your reaction to the beaches. As for the anti-Americanism, I don't quite understand it. It's ok to not agree with many moves our government makes now, but what government doesn't make stupid moves? Is it just über nationalism that gives rise to that attitude toward a country that was there when it was needed most?Julie Farrarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08810771028650707072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533863427856291179.post-71299436371947327562013-11-27T10:18:29.346-06:002013-11-27T10:18:29.346-06:00Julie, we found the Normandy D-Day beaches a stunn...Julie, we found the Normandy D-Day beaches a stunning place to visit when we went a few years ago. The museum at the American cemetery had me sobbing. Seeing the landscape made us realize just how crazily brave the whole endeavor was, and that the landing was just the beginning of the long battle of Normandy. D-Day is one of the reason current European Anti-Americanism makes me super furious.Annette Gendlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03006606888883773812noreply@blogger.com