D-Day OD: Why World War II nostalgia has gone too far (Centtople barf alert!)

MSNBC ^ | 6/4/04 | David Greenberg

[qam1]

This year's onslaught of D-Day hype—a continuous barrage of World War II nostalgia stretching from Memorial Day weekend through George Bush's trip to Europe these next few days—has already exhausted all but the most diehard buffs. Newsmagazines splash gritty old photos of GIs from the Good War and marked-up invasion maps across their glossy pages. Historians from Martin Gilbertto Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have published books exalting soldierly valor. In various speeches George Bush links the siege of Normandy to the siege of Baghdad in what he portrays as one seamless American mission. Building on the mythmaking efforts of past presidents, and with the ready help of the media, Bush has spun a simple tale of American bravery in defense of democracy—of a golden moment when ordinary Yankee sons began the liberation of foreign peoples solely because they believed in freedom.

[qam1]

Warning - Take at least two deep before clicking on the excerpt.

Especially the part how our celebrations shortchanges the Soviet Union's contribution

[Militiaman7]

What do you expect from a professor at Yale. Greenburg is SCUM.

[BallyBill]

Hey MSNBC we need more Abu Grab!! We can't get enough of that. Heck with this old WWII stuff. Most is in B/W anyway.

[ItsOurTimeNow]

I actually took a Sky News poll last night that was asking similar questions.

Sick.

But, not surprising, given the recent bent of the Left to revise all history.

[dinok]

"What do you expect from a professor at Yale. Greenburg is SCUM."

If American GIs had not fought in World War II and won, people named Greenburg would have all gone up the Nazi oven smoke stacks decades ago.

He and others like him are a disgrace to Judeism, America and Humanity in general.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

I would hope that the Soviet Union's teaching of history would give them the nod. Wouldn't upset me one bit if they didn't mention our part in WW II. What's wrong with morons who write articles like this?

[laconic]

The usual lying crap about Ronald Reagan having done his WW2 service in Hollywood. Ronald Reagan enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1934, seven years before the war BEGAN, when NO ONE had to and such service was very unusual. His eyesight was 20-200; like Harry Truman, he could have been exempted but refused deferment. How typical of a fancy-pants Yale "professor" to ignore the truth of history.

[driftless]

To be honest yes, the Soviet Union did bear the greater cost of defeating Hitler taking into account numbers killed and battles fought. Hitler never had less than two thirds of his forces fighting the Soviets. But given that, and not forgetting Stalin's cynical non-aggression pact with his little brother in evil Hitler, without the support of the GB and the US, the Reds probably would have lost. And the successful invasion made sure that Stalin did not overrun mainland Europe as he certainly would have liked to do.

Greenberg does have one salient point in his ridiculous smearing of soldiers who insured his right to criticize them. The soldiers, airmen, and sailors who fought in the Pacific deserve recognition too. People forget that, unlike the Soviets, we fought on more than one front. The creation of the monster machine that was the U.S. military by the end of the war was basically created in only three and one-half years. In that time two formidable enemies had to be defeated. And we did it. Even anti-military types like Greenberg cannot take that away from us.

[YaYa123]

But the least you'd think to expect from a Yale professor is a sentence that makes sense. Get a load of this:

"The Vietnam War, which proved that pure might not only can't always bring peace but often can't even win wars, further muted the urge to sentimentalize combat."

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Most notoriously, the Smithsonian Institution's planned exhibit about the dropping of the atom bomb ran afoul of the American Legion and like-minded groups because it dared consider the dark side of the decision; save for the showcasing of a single airplane, the show was scuttled.

I remember reading about this PC manure when it happened. Some possibly liberal Clymer Smithsonian museum manager said about downplaying the exhibit "it's not the job of the Smithsonian to showcase America at it's best." Turns out he was 100% wrong. It's in the museum's charter.

[LuigiBasco]

Luigi

[Militiaman7]

IIRC, most American Jews vote democratic. Why?

[rudy45]

david.greenberg@yale.edu

Yale directory assistance: (203) 432-4771

[dandi]

Siege of Normandy? Siege of Baghdad? uh...

[First_Salute]

Pack up that man's suitcase and ship him C.O.D., stamped URGENT!, to the terrorists who cut off Nick Berg's head, where we may be mezmerized by Greenberg's art of using "the dialog" and his vast left wing nut grasp of "the literature" to negotiate and make the trouble go away "by peaceful measures."

Better yet, let Greenberg offer up onto the bargaining table, all his possessions and the possessions (including live bodies) of his "like-minded" axis of Marxist-Leninism.

Surely he will feel right at home, and the beheaders will make him right at home.

[First_Salute]

I hasten to add, "God speed" and may Dave get safely away, so as to relate his "scientific discoveries."

[farmer18th]

The older I get, the simpler it gets. Life is a battle of good versus evil. This professor is evil, one of the bad seed, a stinking weed ready for the fire.

[OldFriend]

Well, this jackass can interview OJ instead of our revered heroes.

[OldFriend]

The Smithsonian wanted to portray Japan as bombing us because they wanted to preserve their culture. I kid you not!

[BlazingArizona]

Can any of you imagine Peter Jennings being embedded at Iwo Jima?