3 Moments of Silence

[Gwizz]

Three Moments of Silence=20
When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was =
asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an =
example of empire building' by George Bush. He answered by saying, "Over =
the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and =
women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only =
amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those =
who did not return." It became very quiet in the room.=20
**************=20
Then there was a conference in France where a number of =
international engineers were taking part, including French and American =
During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room =
saying "Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent =
an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does =
he intend to do, bomb them?" A Boeing engineer stood up and replied =
quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat =
several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply =
emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three =
cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, =
they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water =
each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in =
transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have =
eleven such ships. How many does France have?" Dead silence.=20
*****************=20
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included =
Admirals from the U.S , English, Canadian, Australian, and French =
Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large =
group of officers who included personnel from most of those countries. =
Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks, but a =
French Admiral suddenly complained that, 'whereas Europeans learn many =
languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is it that =
we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than =
speaking French?' Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied =
'Maybe its because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies, and Americans arranged =
it so you wouldn't have to speak German.' Silence=20

[Grandma Ruth]

Very touching.
Except that it is only last year that we finally made the last cash payment to America for their part in the Second World War.

[WPandP]

G.R. - I don't think anything was said or implied in the above postings about a debt owed by the U.K. to the U.S.A.; indeed, the last anecdote gives the Brits priority in the list of those who put a stop to Hitler. It was Britain that endured the torment of the early years of the war, while we Americans whined about not getting involved, it wasn't our problem. It was British heroes who took on Messerschmidts over the English Channel, desperate to save not just their country but to preserve an Allied foothold in Europe. Salvation for Western Europe came from British shores. I am glad that the monetary debt is paid off now, so that we can both look "across the pond" at each other with the full admiration that is deserved.

[AZ Rail Rat]

Good point WP . . . points too often forgotten, or never known. WE (US) have been way too quick to pound our chest and think we SAVED THE WORLD during our 20th Century. I prefer to look on it as a joint effort of free people wanting to help each other stay free.

Interesting that, as WRONG as Bush's war is, it was the Brit's who stuck with us the longest. Actually it seems they were almost the ONLY ones that went with us from the start. They did a great job protecting my daughter during her first tour in Iraq. Brits were responsible for outer perimeter defense (or is it defence) around Camp Bucca, the largest prison there.

She made it through her second tour (back this past September), enduring weekly rocket attacks because British force reductions no longer allowed them to provide that outer defense. Still, thanks to all you "across the pond" who shed blood and gave up or disrupted your lives along side us.

[Canadian Viking]

Great stories at the top of this thread, Gwizz! And BRAVO for the three intelligent replies. The French engineeer's remarks in the 2nd story are typical of what our predominately liberal media in North America would say. I, for one, had no idea how many ways an aircraft carrier could be of assistance in a civilian disaster. Thanks for the info.

[Capn Twisted]

G.R. - I don't think anything was said or implied in the above postings about a debt owed by the U.K. to the U.S.A.; indeed, the last anecdote gives the Brits priority in the list of those who put a stop to Hitler. It was Britain that endured the torment of the early years of the war, while we Americans whined about not getting involved, it wasn't our problem. It was British heroes who took on Messerschmidts over the English Channel, desperate to save not just their country but to preserve an Allied foothold in Europe. Salvation for Western Europe came from British shores. I am glad that the monetary debt is paid off now, so that we can both look "across the pond" at each other with the full admiration that is deserved.

Not to mention the millions of Russian soldiers and civilians that endured months and years of death, starvation etc without giving in. Been a whole different war I imagine without their refusal to give in in the face of absolutely brutal conditions and astronomical casualties. I'm no great supporter of Russia, but the Russian people really came through while we Allies got it together enough to invade Europe ;) They probably kept a lot of Japanese at home to, given the proximity.

And yea, ALL involved should be able to appreciate the contributions of those involved. There's a reason they call them the greatest generation.