i started to leave ya outta da ping, knowin it would set yer teeth a bit on edge, but Im glad i did, cause you summed it up nicely...
as a blanket statement, its a bit harsh, as there were many a valiant frenchie soldier, and they bled white a generation before, but from then to now, theve been pretty much condescending eurotrash towards US and our FReedom...not to mention, as you said, benefitting from our willingness to secure their borders at much cost of our treasure...
I believe Hale Sr smiles everytime you rant on about his and his brothers-in-arms sacrifices for ours, and the worlds, FReedom...
as for things human, i aspire to be the kind of father that you guys see in yours...
your statements about those men literally speak volumes to me...
I've often wished I could have been there, in that time, with those American men. Always felt like I was born in the wrong part of the century.
Those Frenchies that did fight, interestingly enough, were Les Legion Etranger du Francaise - the French Foreign Legionnaires. They were nuts, and they fought like tigers.
Can't say the same for the poilus, though. They just rolled over and got rolled.