Saturday 7 November 2009

I Cried Today

Today I witnessed an old soldier lay a flower on the the grave of a friend who died on the beaches of Normandy in 1944.

I struggle to write this post, my eyes are full of tears, for a man who has lost his friend.

Today after all these years, he can still reflect on the comradeship they had together, the dignity that this old man showed, in expressing his love, for his friend makes it very difficult for me to write this post.

What can I say, soldiers of any nation are required to do their duty, but it is their comrades,friends and families who truly understand their sacrifice and we all cry for them.

Let us hope that one day war will be history.

10 comments:

  1. Friends last summer, the whole 5 members of their nuclear family, travelled parts of France, and it was the husband/father's intent to visit the battlefields of the World Wars. Brittany, Normandy, for sure.

    The end to war. What's in us Simon, that makes the fury? My condolences for your individual loss.

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  2. Let hope one day war will be history as you say ........Let’s hope one day we have better means of communicating and settling our disputes other than thru wars.. This is a truly touching post..thanks for sharing

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  3. Another great thought provoking post Simon, my husband was wounded in Vietnam and he is still stongly attached to his mates and is webmaster for the 5RAR site, which he started as a tribute to his unit, he is now a true pacifist and his site has been archived by the National library and also won many awards from around the world; it is not the fury in these men that starts wars, it is politicians - those who never have to serve, who start wars, good men just do their duty, as did this old man and his friend. My heartfelt sympathy for all those affected by war. We owe these men so much,and give them so little, we owe them our very freedoms which we all take for granted. Thank you to all brave men everywhere.

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  4. May God bless you for your kind and warm heart. I pray for all of those soldiers and veterans in the world today and that the world may one day find peace and live in harmony.

    On another note, I have passed along an award to you on Oldman's Cantankerous Point of View. You can find the details here http://oldmanblurts.blogspot.com/

    Thanks for all that you share with the world.

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  5. You are a very soft-hearted, sweet, sweet man...of which the world needs more (kinds of men like you)... :)

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  6. I always reflect on the Embassy bombing in Beirut around Veteran's Day. I had just arrived at Camp LeJeune after returning from Okinawa.

    I will never forget seeing all those Marines in their modified dress blues going to tell all those young wives their husbands won't be coming home. It never fails to bring me to tears.

    Most people reflect on their school days with great joy and a twinge of bitterness that those days are gone. I feel that way about my time in the military. I miss the friends that I have lost and I still grieve for them to this day.

    Thank you for your kindness and understanding of the cost of war.

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  7. Amen to that!

    Sadly, the concept of peace is as elusive as that of democracy. There seems no peace: just war, and preparation for a bigger war.

    But it's human bonding that will make war history :)

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  8. Indeed you have a good and kind heart. I am afraid that heaven weeps with the wars we indulge in, many of which are in the name of religion.

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  9. This post is an incredible well thought and written relection of why it is so very important to live each day to its fulliest potential. Furthermore its always a blessing when we can honor the few, who have pledged to secure, protect and serve those of us, who are the many.

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