Happy 4th of July
July 4 2013

Hello my dearest Old Bolds, family and friends,

Happy Fourth! Hope you are enjoying a wonderful holiday.

I haven't written for a while because I'm not sure what I've been doing is all that interesting. Here goes anyway.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet many more truly fascinating
people since the Normandy trip a month ago, and done some cool things like visited Rommel's grave with Charley. I have interviewed several veterans including some from the 7th Panzer Division (Rommel's), the Grossdeutschland Panzer Grenadier Division, our 99-year-old friend who was a cavalry man (and who is looking to sell a saddle he used in WW2 and a uniform of his, if you know a good place to auction those things in the US), a 99-year-old mountain troop (Gebirgsjaeger) guy, and a 97-year-old U-Boot commander. (The last two Knight's Cross holders)

Which is all really lovely.

On the other hand, I seem to be getting a taste of the strange, baffling, illogical and pervasive hostility towards veterans and all things military in Germany first-hand.

Apparently inviting family members of a certain WW2 veteran (who will remain unnamed) to participate in a day of driving a Russian tank at the behest of their father/grandfather is akin to setting off a neutron bomb here.

Because I wrote in the invitation that driving a Cold War T-55 tank would be fun, I have now officially been accused of approving of "the deaths of millions of Jews and disabled persons" during WWII.

As an American no less.

Wow! That'll teach me!

What, I'm not sure.

Certainly not anything to do with history as you and I might recognize it.

Oh, excuse me, wasn't it Russian and American tanks that actually liberated concentration camps, thereby STOPPING the killing of Jews and disabled persons?

Heck, though, what do I know?

Though there are many beautiful and delightful aspects of Germany and its people, this Ridiculous, Simmering, Blind, Righteous, Self-Immolating, Non-Historically-Correct Wrath against all things having to do with military and honorable dead of any time period (memorials honoring the Germans who died helping defeat Napolean as part of the 'Belle Alliance' are vandalized here just as enthusiastically as those for the dead of WW1 and WW2) serves no productive, logical, or understandable purpose.

I say, let the Old Bold example of respect, and yes, love, for all those who served and died for their country with honor rule!

How glad and grateful I am today to be an American, and to have broken bread..er, pancakes with you all.

Thinking of you all the time, and with all my love,

Heather

 

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