Elmer, my opinion of France and of JYC are also about the same. Admiration, in both cases.
I'm fairly familiar with European History, having taught elements of it on a university level for many years. The 1914-1918 War Poets were my specialty, but I know a fair amout about all the rest of it. I also have some very direct personal experience with more recent military activity. There were plenty of villains in both world wars, and absolutely no heros. None. I can't think of a single nation that was not guilty of the mass slaughter of civilians and of even worse atrocities. We Americans were no better and no worse than the French or the perfidious British. We acted in every case in our best interests, or what we perceived to be our best interests at the time, and never hesitated to kill anyone who got in the way. Certainly, the Germans and some of their allies were infinitely more murderous, and motivated by the same kind of vile racist madness that led to the extermination of whole nations of people by the United States during the second half of the 19th Century. Genocide was not invented by the United States, and it was certainly not invented by the mid-20th Century Germans.
Victors always get to write the history books, and idiots confuse patriotism with total uncritical support in the manner of sports fans. In fact, we all are deeply flawed, in one way or another. The most recent figures from the US government estimate that about 3 million Vietnamese were killed between 1964 and 1974. Most were civilians whose only crime was getting in the way of the world's mightiest military machine.
The French suffered proportionately more casualties during WW1 than any other nation. They fought with a bravery and ferocity that has seldom been equaled. Then, after winning that war, they proceeded to foolishly create many of the issues that led to WW2. Like so many people and nations, they are an interesting mixture of bravery and stupidity. Perhaps a little more courageous and a little less stupid than we Americans, but basically the same.
I think I'll stop here before I get someone angry. I've noticed that people who never shed a drop of blood in the service of their nation, who never cried with terror, felt real fear, frequently have the biggest mouths.
I'm fairly familiar with European History, having taught elements of it on a university level for many years. The 1914-1918 War Poets were my specialty, but I know a fair amout about all the rest of it. I also have some very direct personal experience with more recent military activity. There were plenty of villains in both world wars, and absolutely no heros. None. I can't think of a single nation that was not guilty of the mass slaughter of civilians and of even worse atrocities. We Americans were no better and no worse than the French or the perfidious British. We acted in every case in our best interests, or what we perceived to be our best interests at the time, and never hesitated to kill anyone who got in the way. Certainly, the Germans and some of their allies were infinitely more murderous, and motivated by the same kind of vile racist madness that led to the extermination of whole nations of people by the United States during the second half of the 19th Century. Genocide was not invented by the United States, and it was certainly not invented by the mid-20th Century Germans.
Victors always get to write the history books, and idiots confuse patriotism with total uncritical support in the manner of sports fans. In fact, we all are deeply flawed, in one way or another. The most recent figures from the US government estimate that about 3 million Vietnamese were killed between 1964 and 1974. Most were civilians whose only crime was getting in the way of the world's mightiest military machine.
The French suffered proportionately more casualties during WW1 than any other nation. They fought with a bravery and ferocity that has seldom been equaled. Then, after winning that war, they proceeded to foolishly create many of the issues that led to WW2. Like so many people and nations, they are an interesting mixture of bravery and stupidity. Perhaps a little more courageous and a little less stupid than we Americans, but basically the same.
I think I'll stop here before I get someone angry. I've noticed that people who never shed a drop of blood in the service of their nation, who never cried with terror, felt real fear, frequently have the biggest mouths.
So I could dive in the canal.... Didn't work to good...
