On 2014-07-24 8:43 PM, Kalmia wrote:

> As an aside, I was privileged to sing at a series of D-Day
> Commemorative concerts. At the American cemetery at Omaha Beach, we
> sang our planned anthem with hardly a dry eye, BUT when we gazed at
> our flag raised aloft, we broke into our national anthem. We barely
> got the last 'home of the brave' out, we were so overcome with the
> enormity of the sacrifice. I felt I really WAS at the resting place
> of those so young and brave. I hope this doesn't initiate another
> anti-Allies diatribe, but let me tell you, I never before have felt
> so proud to be an American.

On one trip to France we were wandering around and saw a lot of WWI war
cemeteries. The American cemetery at the Meuse-Argonne was beautiful. It
was beautiful. There were 14,500 white crosses on a gentle rolling hill
and the gardens and trees were all well groomed.

As we got out of the car the carillon started up, playing America The
Beautiful. We thought at first that it was just for us, but then I
realized it was 12 noon. My father in law saw action there and had told
me some interesting stories about the war and about some of the people
in his unit who were killed, like the one who was struck by shrapnel
two minutes after they had traded places, and one who was killed 10
minutes before the ceasefire.