A World War II moment, that is.
I have always been interested in history, always found the lives lived and way of life before my time fascinating; though I've suddenly been seized with a fire unlike before to devour, learn, and understand all that occurred some -only!- seventy odd years ago.
My father and my brother are both huge WWII history buffs. If pressed, I don't think I can recall a time or place when my father wasn't reading some historical tomb about D-Day or The Battle of the Bulge or the like. I don't think I'm going out on too much of a limb when I say, in all seriousness, that the man knows everything about the WWII European campaign. So I suppose it only seems fitting that throughout my 31 years quite a lot of WWII knowledge has found its way into my brain as well. I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain I knew more about WWII strategies and the relevance of various battles at an earlier age than most of my counterparts. There is an infamous running joke in my family about a student that sat next to me in my history class my junior year of high school. Minutes before we were all about to take a mid-term exam, he leaned over to me and asked, in all seriousness: "Um, we won WWII, didn't we?"
But I'm getting away from my point.
1939 is not so long ago. My Father was alive when Pearl Harbor was bombed, when D-Day occurred, when V-E day and then, later, V-J day was celebrated. After graduate school, my Mother lived in The Netherlands, in a town called Eindhoven. The Americans liberated Eindhoven on September 18, 1944. My Mother's birthday is September 18th. Every year, even to this day, her Dutch friends call her on her birthday. Often, after the birthday greetings are shared, they still talk about how vividly they remember the arrival of American soldiers, some sixty years ago.
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Among my circle of friends, I am often lovingly called "the old-fashioned one." I still write letters and mail cards via the postal service. I do not pay any of my bills online. I am skeptical of most all things technological; I cannot imagine a time when I will willingly hold a Kindle or a Nook in my hands. Perhaps this way of thinking, of living, is antiquated and out-dated. Maybe I am old-fashioned. Yet when I look to the past, when I read and learn and study what my grandparents, my Dutch friends, and an entire generation went through I am consistently humbled. And consistently reminded that maybe we should not simply march forward in this technological era. Perhaps it might do us some good once in awhile to take a quick glance backward; to remember who came before us, to realize what lessons we might be taught.
These moments. These experiences. This War. It still touches us; it still continues to shape our world. It consistently astounds and amazes me.
It had often been said that history repeats itself. My father has remarked on this various sentiment multiple times, paraphrasing another famous line - "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things, not so long ago. I think the very least that I can do now - here in 2011 - is appreciate, learn, and understand all that I can about those extraordinary times.
I owe them that.
3 comments:
This is beautiful, thank you for caring, and for writing it down. Seriously, thank you.
xox
All that those who have gone before can ask of us is that they not be forgotten, for then they shall truly never die.
It is reassuring to know that the future is in such capable hands however, I am not yet ready to be relieved of duty.
We should never forget those who paid the ultimate price for us. All we have to do is look at Egypt and the joy of the people demonstrating for freedom. Let's not take anything for granted. We owe a big debt of gratitude to so many who never got to fulfill their dreams. God rest their souls. No greater gift has any man than to lay down his life for a friend.
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