Memorial Day Thoughts

Someone I know sent along this video link, which is of a (now-aging) French singer named Michel Sardou, who took a somewhat unpopular pro-American stand in France.  That got me to thinking.

When we think about Memorial Day, it isn't just about us and ours.  It is about, in my mind, all who have fallen trying to obtain or preserve liberty.  It includes the dead of General Rochambeau's army, marching from Newport, in Rhode Island, to Yorktown, in Virginia.  There they participated, along with General Washington's Army, in the seige that basically ended our American Revolution.  I wonder who tends their graves here in the United States?

Yes, we went to France in 1917 and again in 1944, but I am not one of those who says, "We're even, go away."  Our freedom is precious and it will be hard to thank the French People enough.

And, we are part of a larger democratic "band of brothers," to quote King Henry V:

And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap while any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

William Shakespeare's, King Henry V
Act IV, Scene III

Of course, that wasn't the real speech.  But it is the speech we would wish to hear.  Here is the whole speech as written by Shakespeare.

In the pursuit of democracy, freedom, liberty, and human rights there is a band of brothers out there and it includes France, and Britian, and Canada, and Australia, and Little New Zealand.  That is our inner circle, along with nations like Japan and Korea and Germany and Italy and Denmark—especially Denmark—and others.  I include Denmark because they not so long ago came under attack because of their freedom of the press.  (I apologize to those from other freedom loving nations, whose homeland I did not include—space and not neglect has resulted in your home nation not also being honored.)

Sure, the French irritate us, they irritate us a lot.  But, in the quiet of government interaction, we are working closely together in the current war on terrorism.

So, here are the words to the song by French singer Michel Sardou, in French and then in a translation by my friend, who told me about it.

Les Ricains
Arnaud SCHUSTER

"Si les Ricains n'etaient pas la
Vous seriez tous en Germany
A parler de je ne sais quoi
A saluer je ne sais qui

Bien sur les annees ont passe
On est devenu des copains
A l'Amicale du fusille
On dit qu'ils sont tombes pour rien

Un gars venu de Georgie
Qui se foutait pas mal de toi
Est venu mourrir en Normandie
Un matin ou tu n'y etais pas

Bien sur les annees ont passe
Les fusils ont change de mains
Est-ce une raison pour oublier dis?
Qu'un jour on a eu besoin

Si les Ricains n'etaient pas-la
Nous serions tous en Germany
A parler de je ne sais quoi
A saluer je ne sais qui"
Zeig Heil

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ◊

If the Yanks were not there
You would all be in Germany
To speak of I do not know what
To salute I do not know who

For sure the years have passed
We have become friends
With those with the weapons
It is said they died for nothing

A young man came from Georgia
Who did not think badly of you
He came to die in Normandy
One morning that you were not there.

For sure the years have passed
The guns have changed hands
Is this a reason to forget?
That one day we had a need

If the Americans were not there
We would all be in Germany
To speak of I do not know what
To salute I do not know who
Zeig Heil

So, that is my take on Memorial Day.  It is about honoring our fallen dead and being thankful for the sacrifices they made, and thankful for the sacrifices those who survived also made.

But, it is also about remembering what they died for and that we have often joined with others to achieve those goals of democracy, freedom, liberty, and human rights.

This is a day for me to remember that when I was flying combat missions over Cambodia, there were Cambodians down on the ground fighting to resist Pol Pot.  Let them be honored also.  When my wife and I visited Normandy 40 years ago,we recognized that it wasn't just Americans who died, but Canadians and English, Welsh, Scots and Irish, and, of course French.  At Monte Cassino it was a hugh Polish Cemetery that attracted our attention.  God bless them all.

Regards  —  Cliff