[allendale]

Very sad when you reflect a bit on those priceless photos. European culture has never been the same since WW I. That war killed off the very best of Britain, France, Germany and Russia. Those genetic losses can never be replaced. The catastrophic Russian revolution occurred and it led directly to WWII with even greater losses. And for what and why? As the centennial of that carnage approaches, our politicians should reflect carefully before they send brave young men to distant shores.

[The Antiyuppie]

“European culture has never been the same since WW I.”

I read that 50,000 British were killed in ONE DAY during WWI, not with firebombings or an A-bomb, but with shells and bullets - and generally, they had their officers (i.e., the upper class) at the front of the line, not the back. Given the population of England and the world at the time, this is mind-boggling.

[TheRhinelander]

Yes, you’re right about that. It was truly the end of an age. I’ve read extensively about that war and the period leading up to it.

It all could have been avoided so easily.

[kearnyirish2]

“European culture has never been the same since WW I...And for what and why?”

Europe had turned its back on its Christian roots; after WWI fascist (not Nazi) states tried to re-claim them, but only Spain and Portugal were really successful (until the 1970s).

Anyone who is familiar with the world wars and still enlists is naive; too many of our servicemen today were alive when BJ Clinton attacked Serbia to keep his sexual trysts out of the news. People in Serbia were killed - for nothing. A friend has a son serving now; he took comfort in the fact that he wasn’t in a bad place and he’d be OK. I told him I’d be just as concerned that he might kill people who’d done nothing wrong.