Dear Jean-Jacques Struyf,

 

With Respect this is not the forum you should be talking to at this point in time, we all know what happened, and we feel deeply for the lives that were lost in that conflict.....

                                                                        With regards

                                                                                               Brian.

Oh, I am 70 years of age so I know..........respect.........

 

Looks good to me in Hanger Talk ???? (which is why I disliked and thought your post a little provocative).

My grandfather flew as a tailgunner in a Lancaster with the RCAF.  He never once talked about his experiences during the war, wouldn't speak of it at all.

 

It's similar with my grandfather in that I've really had to pry hard to get stories out of him. He doesn't like to talk about. Must have been really nerve-wracking, as well as the thought that some of your bombs were way off target and causing civilian casualties as well.

 

He told me they used to joke about the bomb runs that the people probably shouted "The bombers are coming. Quick, get out of the fields and hide in the factories"

The title of this thread really threw me off. I thought it was another thread from tomtom or one of his aliases. Had no idea it would be what it ended up being.

The title of this thread really threw me off. I thought it was another thread from tomtom or one of his aliases. Had no idea it would be what it ended up being.

 

I agree and I have changed it. Using AVSIM and HACK in the same sentence is not a good way to get attention.

I agree and I have changed it. Using AVSIM and HACK in the same sentence is not a good way to get attention.

Tom, it's all my fault and I apologize for the confusion I created.  My initial post (70 years ago...) disappeared from the FSX forum as soon as I published it yesterday morning, hence this post.  I felt like the little boy I was at school getting knocked on his knuckles by the teacher because he did not hold his pen correctly (luckily, today's teachers don't do that anymore)  :rolleyes:

I got a nice message from Florian, yesterday's mod, who explained me why, despite my request, he did not leave my post on the FSX forum, and I understand and accepted his reasons.

 

Sorry for creating all that mess, but the ceremonies around the 70th anniversary of D-Day were a big event here in Europe and it may not have been that important in the US and the rest of the world.  I just wanted to convey to the relatives, amongst my fellow simmers, of those guys that fought to liberate Europe that they should be proud of them and that many french, dutch, belgian are still thankful to those heroes.

 

Jean-Jacques Struyf

I cannot express strongly enough my admiration, respect and appreciation to the Veterans who served so well. The best I can do is a brief tribute to my father in law, who served in Europe.

 

My father in law was with a Mobile Hospital Unit. He like so many others didn't like speaking of the experience. His unit of doctors, nurses and orderlies became a brotherhood - family. When my father in laws health began failing he asked if my wife and I would drive him to their reunions. They organized this at the end of the war and met every year until 2008. At first I was a bit worried that I would be an outsider. Boy was I wrong! There were their children, their grandchildren and their great grandchildren there. We were all like a big family. That is when I began to realize and understand what these people had done and what they had seen. Every year fewer and fewer would make it to the reunion and the ones who remained would spend time saying kind words and tell the stories of the ones who passed. As of now there is one person left to tell their story. A RN who is in her 90s. Every year until this year I got a email from her at reunion time.

 

The only story my father in law would tell was about an officer who wanted one of the big tents painted inside because of the dried mess inside. He was told there wasn't enough paint so the officer sent an orderly to the motor pool for some gas to thin the paint with. He said they got so high from the fumes that it was the best drunk he had ever been on and they were 'cross eyed' for days. After the story he would look at me and then stare out the window. I knew this was the only pleasant memory he had of the whole time. He once spoke of how wounded boys would be brought in to get help and all the soldiers would talk about is getting back with the unit and how sometimes he would see these same boys a weak later in much much worse shape. He would get a tear in his eye and say, "BRAVE!".

 

How can anyone not honor all of these people, yet to my amazement there are those who would diminish their deeds.

 

Best regards to all,

Mel

 

:American Flag: