Tag Archives: WWII

Memorial Day–Memories

Let’s play word association. What do you think of when you hear “Memorial Day”? Okay, hands up, who said “Sale?”

Those of you whose hands are not up—you’re showing your age.

Memorial Day Free Download Poster, Graves at Arlington National Cemetery, American Flag, Veterans Day Holiday
Memorial Day poster, showing graves at Arlington National Cemetery

 

In the small town in Ohio where I grew up, the cemetery was up on the hill behind the Church of Christ. It was called Schoolhouse Hill, because the school stood beside the cemetery.  And every Memorial Day in my childhood, the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) put down their beer bottles, donned as much of their old uniforms as they could still get in to, and held a ceremony up on the hill, distributing flags to all the graves of old soldiers.

In Flanders´ Fields , the poppies blow .....
Red poppy “In Flanders’ Fields, the poppies blew…”

Every house flew a flag, and most people pinned on red artificial poppies that they bought from the VFW–the funds going to veterans in need.

Fallen warriors were not the only ones honored, though. It became a day to honor one’s ancestors as well.  That was the day that people cleaned up the area around family plots, put flowers in pots, or planted them in the ground and stood and thought a minute or two about each ancestor.  People still do that in small town America. So in the spirit of a Memorial Day that used to mean something more than “Sale”, here are some past posts about America and patriotism in travel and books to add to your travel library. So plan a trip, read a book, remember.

 

 

WW II Re-enactment

A ceremony in Fredericksburg Texas and a magnificent World War II museum. The book: Fortress Rabaul:  The Battle for the Southwest Pacific, January 1942-April 1943.

Memorial at Normandy World War II American Cemetery
Memorial at Normandy World War II American Cemetery

Visiting a cemetery in Normandy, France, and the battlefields of D-Day. The book: The Steel Wave by Jeff Schaara.

Philadelphia - Old City: Independence Hall
Independence Hall, Philadelphia

A visit to the cradle of America, Philadelphia. The book: Miracle at Philadelphia

Civil War Veteran Grave: Henry Butts
Grave of Civil War Veteran Henry Butts, Danville, Ohio

A salute to veterans in my own family, and books about war. The books: Several by Michael Schaara and Jeff Schaara

George Washington
George Washington

Revolutionary War and early American sites to visit. The book: 1776 by David McCullough.

Here’s a touching post from Vacation Gals about a visit to the Pearl Harbor WWII site in Hawaii.

Remember, you now are able to rate posts (even old ones). Let me know which ones you like and you’ll get more of the same.

For your convenience, I put several links to Amazon in this article. If you buy anything at all at Amazon, please click through one of my links or the Amazon search box. You’ll be showing your support of A Traveler’s Library, and helping me pay the rent on my Internet address. Thanks so much!

Thanks, as usual to those photographers at Flickr who took some of these photos. I took the Normandy, the Civil war grave and George Washington photos. If you are interested in using a photo, be sure to ask the photographer for permission.

Happy Memorial Day weekend. What are your plans?

Veteran’s Day: Books That Travel Through History

A Salute to my brother and his son the Marine and to our  great-great-great-great-great grandfather the fifer in the Revolutionary war; to  great-grandfather Henry Butts, Civil War veteran; our two uncles and cousin, now deceased, who made it home from the Pacific in WW II; and my son who did peacetime duty on a submarine. And a special salute to my grandson now in Iraq, may he live long as a proud veteran. [2010 update. Thankfully he is now back in the states where he will stay until the end of his contract with the Air Force.] Continue reading Veteran’s Day: Books That Travel Through History

Movie Brings War Back to French Village

Charlotte Gray Movie Poster
Charlotte Gray

Destination: France

Movie: Charlotte Gray

I rather wish that I had read the novel,Charlotte Gray (1999) by Sebastian Faulks, because the story seems too complex for the simplified love story that dominates the film, Charlotte Gray (2002). However, I would not want to miss the atmospheric French village that plays an important role in the movie.

Continue reading Movie Brings War Back to French Village