Posted on 05/18/2014 1:14:39 PM PDT by SJackson
Seven decades after Allied troops stormed Normandy’s beaches and saved France from the Nazis, the surrender-happy nation is turning its back on hundreds of US veterans who want to return next month to mark the invasion’s 70th anniversary.
France has broken its promise to pay for the vets to fly to this year’s commemoration, according to Rep. Michael Grimm.
“Our chief-of-staff heard it from the French Embassy in DC — that they would be flown out to France [for free],” said Nick Iacono, a spokesman for the Staten Island congressman.
But when The Post contacted the embassy Friday, the French turned up their noses as if smelling rotten Camembert.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Not necessarily.
Japan & Germany have abandoned their formerly megalomaniac adventures.
India just had a election with 500 million voting.
They elected equivalent of the US Tea party, the BJP.
So India will move more towards capitalism.
Most of Europe has minimum military manpower to be able to cause any problems.
Only country to watch out for trouble is China.
However I just came back from a tour of South East Asia,
and I observed emergence of strong economies in many places.
Taiwan, S. Korea, Singapore have strong economies. Viet-Nam,
Thailand & Malaysia will not tolerate China hegemony.
China is now all about expanding economic reach abroad.
Russia can gobble up small chunnks of former USSR satellites, but does not have the economy to try world dominance.
Africa has problems created by their own. Such as the crimes allowed by Boko Haram in Nigeria by a corrupt government. So why should US taxpayers fix every problem which crops in these countries due to their fault?
We can live just fine with military isolation from foreign lands. Instead, just focus on economic adventures in foreign lands. But to do that we need to stop weakening our corporations via high taxes and choking regulations.
Interesting...I like your point of view!
You are no doubt correct.
Do I Detect A Hint Of Sarcasm? :-)
um. ... In fact the French fleet kept Cornwallis from escaping Yorktown. So ya. like it or not the French played a big role in our freedom. That doesn't excuse what going on now but lets give credit where its due.
US Postage Stamp, 1931 issue, honoring Marshal Rochambeau, George Washington and Admiral De Grasse, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the victory at Siege of Yorktown, 1781.
Sadly, I don't believe there are that many veterans of the Normandy Invasion still living.
Are we sure the Obama administration isn't responsible for this? It fits there pattern.
The battle of Verdun was horrific. I have been to the battlefield which still shows the effects of that fight. A Frenchman was quoted as saying; “they will never get us to do that again.”(Referring to the battle.)
Have been catching up on the opening of the war because
the 100 anniversery is coming up, then Verdun etc.
Amazing how much happened in the first two months.
Oooooo, lucky you. I would love to tour the battlefields.
Don’t have much desire to do world traveling but to be
there on the anniversery of the opening and the Battle
of the Frontiers, Loos, Le cateau and the Marne would
be most interesting.
Did you visit Ft Doamont or Vaux?
I’m envious.
I didn't know there could possibly be a difference in the smell.
I spent an entire day at the battlefield. I went into Ft. Doaumount(spelling?)I saw every part of the Fort that one could see. The saddest of all was the remains of the village of Fleury, like a giant fist smashed it.
Awesome. Have you read “The Price of Glory”
by Alistair Horne?
ok, ok, so they helped. I still think they’re a bunch of deceitful sissies though. They’ll never live down betraying their own countrymen, in my eyes.
Yes. I purchased it and have read it three times. I want to get his book on the Franco Prussian war.
That would be interesting, all that stuff was tied
together even years apart.
Another execellent read is “The Marne, 1914”,
by Holger H. Herwig. A good and somewhat differnt
look at the events leading up to the Marne and the
things that resulted in the German repulse. The
mistakes and the miscommunications that lead to
the stalemate later.
Very good, and well researched.
If you are interested in learning more about the
French in WWI get “A very long engagement” from
blockbuster or netflix.
It’s in French with subtitles but is quite an engrossing
story that covers the horrors and vagarities that
plagued the french during that war. Some very interesting
plot twists, as a young engaged french girl tries to
find out what happened to her Fiance during the war along
with the wives and girlfriends of several of the soldiers.
The photography is STUNNING. The acting superb.
Respectfully, not that I am a Francophile, but if not for France in 1776, there might not be a United States of America. Thanks !
France had 150 divisions on the border? Where the heck did you get that from? On September 1, 1939 France had a dozen divisions in the vicinity of their border from the North Sea to Switzerland.
They actually attacked Germany first and seized some territory in the Saar region.
By the time of the German assault in May, 1940 the French Army had around 90 divisions activated but how well trained and equipted they were is a good question.
Too bad that Maginot died in the thirties. France might have been better prepared for war and his defensive line maybe would not have stayed half finished.
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