These Words Alone Require Respect and Reverence

Today, Maya and I visited the American Military Cemetery and Memorial at Colleville-sur-Mer above Omaha Beach on France's Normandy Coast. It is here that American men and women who wore the uniforms of our military -- Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and Air Corps -- and carried our flag, stormed the beaches and died as part of Operation Overlord / D-Day. Nearly 9,500 of them lie here. They died as part of the largest invasion launched to liberate France and Europe from the tyranny, oppression, and destruction of Nazi Germany. 

Those who live in this area still exhibit deep respect and love for the Americans and all of their Allies who fought across 80 kilometers of beaches to advance freedom. At the entrance points on the roads leading into Colleville-sue-Mer are signs featuring a group photo of troops from the Army's 1st Infantry Division that very proudly declare, in French and English, "We thank our liberators." Along the coast in towns and villages stretching from Le Havre to Cherbourg are signs that say, "Thank you." Nearly 70 years after the events of that fateful and decisive day, generations of French remain appreciative and reverent with regards to the sacrifices that were made by young men and women who came from other countries to help free theirs. 

It's that word reverent I want to talk about for a minute. As I walked into the cemetery, I was, and those around me were, assaulted by two American women in their 50s yelling to each other across the expanses where lay the bodies of our honored dead. 

Yelling. In a cemetery. And not just any cemetery. This cemetery. 

I tried politely shushing one of the women, but she chose merely to glare at me. I was appalled by her and her friend's lack of reverence. And these weren't the only ones who were irreverent that day. In striking contrast, the French and Germans who I encountered were speaking in hushed tones or not at all. 

And this is as it should. Blood was shed here. Lives were cut short here. Great sacrifice ruled the day here. The least we can do, please, is show some reverence and respect. 

HERE RESTS IN HONORED GLORY A COMRADE IN ARMS KNOWN BUT TO GOD. 

Respect that. Whether here or elsewhere, respect that. 

Betrayal for Peace: 1938 - 1945

Monument to German Occupation, 1938 - 1945 : Prague, CZ

In 1938, Germany's National Socialist Workers' Party, led by the dictator Adolf Hitler, began threatening war against then-Czechoslovakia for land bordering Germany known as the Sudatenland. Hitler had already taken over Austria and was threatening war in Europe. In an effort at appeasement, the British and the French, in a colossal betrayal of an ally that would prove fruitless in the end, signed over Czechoslovakia to Germany. The hope was, if Hitler was granted the Sudatenland, he'd cease his saber-rattling and be satisfied with the additional Lebensraum (living space) for Germany and Germans and quietly go away. The Czechs were not present at the signing of the Munich Agreement (or the Munich Betrayal, as it became known in Czechoslovakia) and, when they protested, the British and French told the Czechs, if they rose up against the Germans, the Brits and French would consider it an act of aggression and would come to Germany's defense. This monument memorializes Germany's occupation of Czechoslovakia from 1938 until 1945, when the country was liberated by Patton's U.S. Third Army.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/11

Peace Be Upon You

Prayers for the Dead : Jewish Cemetery : Prague, CZ

After our private tour of Prague, followed by lunch at the Cafe de Paris and our brief visit to the Lennon Wall, we then visited the city's Jewish Quarter and the oldest Jewish cemetery in Prague. It is estimated that more than 100,000 Jews have been buried here spanning a period from the early 1400s to the late 1700s.

Here I raise my Ebenezer... : Jewish Cemetery : Prague, CZ

Just outside the cemetery walls is a museum of the history of the Jews in Prague. The building contains the handwritten names of the more than 80,000 Jews of Czechoslovakia who died at the hands of the Nazis during World War II. Included in the museum is a haunting exhibit of art by children who were transported to Terezín (Theresienstadt) by the Germans. The most haunting part of this exhibit are the dates under each name: the date of the child's birth; the date they produced their art piece; and the date of their death. It is the last date that is so chilling, because the dates are all the same. These children died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz. Photos are not allowed in the exhibit, but I highly recommend paying the entrance fee to see it, if you visit Prague. It is well worth it.

Shalom : Jewish Cemetery : Prague, CZ

עליו השלום : Jewish Cemetery : Prague, CZ

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 4/11

Niedermorschwihr

Niedermorschwihr, FR

Yesterday featured the Jam Fairy of France, whose business is located in the Alsatian town of Niedermorschwihr. Here are a few pictures from this sweet little town.

Niedermorschwihr's church : Alsace : France

As I was waiting for Rachel, Maya, and Diana, I wondered up the street to visit the little church and stumbled upon a plaque outside the town hall. It read: "Niedermorschwihr, liberated 2 February 1945 by the soldiers of the 28th Infantry Division during the battle of the Colmar Pocket." (See the slideshow below to see the plaque.)



Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 9/10