Remember
Posted: Fri May 28, 2004 6:15 pm
Now, to start this off I gotta say that I'm not the kind of guy that gets emotional of much, especially inanimate objects. Hey, I'm all for a beautiful sunset, but it certainly won't make me cry. Statuary falls into the same category, looking at some stone or bronze long-dead Patriot or Leader may be impressive, but that's about as far as it goes.
<BR>
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to walk around our Nation's Capitol, Washington D.C. Plenty of statues and monuments there, for sure. I also was able to visit the newest monument to those who served our nation in the last Great War. I have to say it affected me. Completely. <BR>
Being in aviation, and more specifically a pilot, it is almost inevitable that I could trace my fascination with aviation to our military aircraft, more specifically, our WWII aircraft. If I had to choose between a brand new F-22 and a 60 year old P-51D, I'd have to take the P-51, with nary a second thought. This interest in our early warbirds has led to an interest in WWII in all of its facets, from infantry, to tanks, battleships, carriers, and the aircraft that flew over, around and landed on them.
<BR>
Bring it home for just a second. If it happened to you today, and we pulled together the way our grandparents did, would you be willing to give up evertything they did for the good of the nation? For your (insert relation here) to get the ammunition they need? No driving alone to ship gas to the troops? Stop eating a favorite food so that it could be sent as combat rations? Stop buying computer parts so that they could be used in defense hardware? If it was you who was drafted, in 60 years time would there be a memorial that someone laid a picture on of you, sitting on a tank, with your buddies, and a flower? Will your friends and comrades-in-arms, that you fought alongside, the ones who saved your @$$; will they be dying at the rate of 1,000 a day, at the same rate our WWII vets are vanising today?
<BR>
We shound forget that the games we play, at least the war games that are somewhat reality based, are a part of real history. For those of you who play BF:1942 and associated mods, you can hopefully appreciate that what you are doing is making sport of what was once a life and death matter. I'd never lost sight of that while plaing the game. It really brought it home when I went to the World War II mamorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. There were soldiers everywhere. Infantry from the 102nd. Tank battallions. B-25 Crews. Sppply ship crews. Except they were old and grey. There were wives and children of these vetereans there, crying because the memorial came too late for their father to see. Or their mother who flew for the WAF. If you ever have the chance, and you have any sense whatsoever of what happend "over There", of what these people saw, and the incredible sacrifices that were made, I strongly suggest you visit the memorial in D.c. Its power is in its simplictity.
Our grandparents were not called "The Greatest Generation" for nothing. We knew who we were fighting, and what we were fighting for, without a doubt.
BTW, it opens on national TV this saturday
<BR>
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to walk around our Nation's Capitol, Washington D.C. Plenty of statues and monuments there, for sure. I also was able to visit the newest monument to those who served our nation in the last Great War. I have to say it affected me. Completely. <BR>
Being in aviation, and more specifically a pilot, it is almost inevitable that I could trace my fascination with aviation to our military aircraft, more specifically, our WWII aircraft. If I had to choose between a brand new F-22 and a 60 year old P-51D, I'd have to take the P-51, with nary a second thought. This interest in our early warbirds has led to an interest in WWII in all of its facets, from infantry, to tanks, battleships, carriers, and the aircraft that flew over, around and landed on them.
<BR>
Bring it home for just a second. If it happened to you today, and we pulled together the way our grandparents did, would you be willing to give up evertything they did for the good of the nation? For your (insert relation here) to get the ammunition they need? No driving alone to ship gas to the troops? Stop eating a favorite food so that it could be sent as combat rations? Stop buying computer parts so that they could be used in defense hardware? If it was you who was drafted, in 60 years time would there be a memorial that someone laid a picture on of you, sitting on a tank, with your buddies, and a flower? Will your friends and comrades-in-arms, that you fought alongside, the ones who saved your @$$; will they be dying at the rate of 1,000 a day, at the same rate our WWII vets are vanising today?
<BR>
We shound forget that the games we play, at least the war games that are somewhat reality based, are a part of real history. For those of you who play BF:1942 and associated mods, you can hopefully appreciate that what you are doing is making sport of what was once a life and death matter. I'd never lost sight of that while plaing the game. It really brought it home when I went to the World War II mamorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. There were soldiers everywhere. Infantry from the 102nd. Tank battallions. B-25 Crews. Sppply ship crews. Except they were old and grey. There were wives and children of these vetereans there, crying because the memorial came too late for their father to see. Or their mother who flew for the WAF. If you ever have the chance, and you have any sense whatsoever of what happend "over There", of what these people saw, and the incredible sacrifices that were made, I strongly suggest you visit the memorial in D.c. Its power is in its simplictity.
Our grandparents were not called "The Greatest Generation" for nothing. We knew who we were fighting, and what we were fighting for, without a doubt.
BTW, it opens on national TV this saturday
