Never Forget

 

Today is Memorial Day in the United States.

A day to remember those who died while

serving in the US Armed Forces.  I consider

myself a patriotic person, I find myself tearing

up every time I hear the National anthem, I get

a bit choked up when far from home and happen

to see the stars and stripes waving in the breeze.

 

 

This is the 2nd Memorial Day I have celebrated

this year.  The 1st was quite unexpected, I happened

to be in Arnhem in the Netherlands to visit the Open

Air Museum that is located there.  After walking for

over 5 hours I was exhausted and went inside a

windmill to sit down.  A video happened to be playing

describing the time when the people of Arnhem were

forced to evacuate their town during WWII.

 

 

The people loaded up their bicycles, carts, baby

carriages with their belongings and headed out

into the streets.  They didn't know where to go

and 600 of them ended up at the museum I was

touring and stayed in the museum exhibits.

I was astounded ~ I didn't even know this museum

existed in the 1940's.  I went away thinking I had

learned an exciting piece of history.

 

 

When I had arrived in Arnhem the day before

I had posted the location on my facebook page.

An old friend contacted me and said his Dad had

been at Arnhem in the war and asked if I would

take a photo of the famous bridge.  Rob and I

headed out with a map to find the bridge.  On

our way we came upon a huge church with lots

of activity.  A policeman explained it was

Remembrance Day in the Netherlands.

 

 

We made our way to the bridge and found a

small memorial plaza with photos and a cannon

and memorials.  And that was when I found myself

completely overcome with emotion, I thought of my

Dad and Greg's Dad and so many of the Dads of my

friends fighting this war.  We are the baby boomers,

so many of us have some close attachment to this

war.  My Dad wasn't at Arnhem but he was in North

Africa and Europe for the war.

 

 

The church bells started ringing in Arnhem

and almost everyone stopped what they were

doing.  Young guys on motorcycles pulled over,

couples going out for the evening got out of their

cars and stood silently, it was very moving.

 

This is my Dad driving a jeep in Naples.

I'm struck by how young our Dads were,

very close to the ages of my kids now.

 

We can get distracted by the fun associated

with Memorial Day, it's a day off from work,

the kick-off to summer, cook-outs and parades

and fireworks...

But let's remember to never forget.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arnhem Open Air Museum

Arnhem, the Netherlands

 

 

We are traveling through the Netherlands and

today we visited the Open Air Museum in Arnhem.

 

 

Wherever I happen to travel, if I see this type

I HAVE to visit.  I learn so much about a place

by viewing a sampling of their houses.

 

 

Usually, this type of museum has a collection

of homes and historic buildings from around

the region.

 

Check out that fabulous roof!

 

 

At this museum there are many buildings,

they show how people lived and worked.

 

 

They show home styles from the very poor

day laborers to the wealthy.

 

 

I want to have a small cottage with these

little cubby hole beds.  There is only room

for the mattress.  It looks so cosy.

 

 

This is a unique structure.  It is a small

cottage for a TB patient.  Notice it is on

a turntable so the building can be moved

to be in the sun and to catch the breeze.

 

 

There is an old store selling unique items.

 

 

And of course, wooden shoes...

 

 

After walking around for over 5 hours, I

was exhausted.  I went inside a windmill

and started watching a video.  The video

told of when the townspeople of Arnhem

were forced to leave their town during WWII.

They packed their belongings in baby carriages

and carts pulled by bicycles and headed out

into the streets.  Some of them went to the

museum I was visiting.  I didn't even know

that museum existed in the 40's.  At the time,

600 people from the town went to live in some

of the very houses I had toured that day.

 

 

It wasn't until later in the day when I was

back in town, that I found out that day was

Memorial Day in the Netherlands.  That

made our visit even more special.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Memorial Day

It is Memorial Day here in the United States.

It is a day for remembering the men and women

who died while serving in the United States Armed

Forces.  Once known as Decoration Day, it

commemorated the Union soldiers who died

during the Civil War.  By the 20th century, Memorial

Day honored all Americans who died in all wars.

Memorial Day

A Day of Remembrance

Here in the United States, on the

last Monday in May we celebrate

Memorial Day.  It used to be called

Decoration Day and graves of soldiers

were decorated but now it is a day

to reflect and think about all of our

soldiers, past and present.

This photo is of my Dad,

Mike Smanko who served in

the Army Air Corps in World War II.

Here he is driving a jeep

in Naples, Italy in 1945.

On the back of this one is written,

The best of luck Pal.

My Dad sure looks happy, the

other guys not so much...

This one says  Naples, Italy 1945.

There is the old saying, that war is hell.

But I don't think that was the case for

my Dad.  As a young guy who had spent

much of his life suffering through the

effects of the Great Depression, I think

this experience was a grand adventure.

Later in life he would tell us endless

stories of the war.  He got to travel around

the USA, then went overseas to North Africa

and Europe.  He loved Italy and took my

Mom back years later to Italy and

Germany to show her where he had been.

I love this picture where we can see the

tin cups and plates they used ~ he had

lots of stories and bad names for the food.

This is my Dad's dog on the hood

of an Army jeep, his name was

C-ration.

Here are all the guys, my Dad is on

the ledge in the back row.  I assume

this is in Italy somewhere,  I know I

have readers in Italy, if anyone recognizes

the dome of that church, please tell me

where it is, I'd love to visit there.

I have never been able to think of the day

as one of mourning.  I have never quite been

able to feel that the half-masted flags were

appropriate on Decoration Day.  I have

rather felt that the flag should be at the peak,

because those whose dying we commemorate

rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed

it.  We honor them in a joyous, thankful,

triumphant commemoration of what they did.

Benjamin Harrison

So, wherever you may live, think about

a soldier today and the sacrifices they

have made to keep us all safe.

Happy Memorial Day from this

American Homestead.