The Beautiful D-day Celebration in France

This is the most beautiful evening I have seen in France (and in French speaking countries that have access to French TV) in a long time.

The D-day (Memorial day for you, Debarkment day for us), June 6th, was the day when thousands and thousands of soldiers from many countries, among them Britain, Canada, I think I heard Australia, the US and France debarked in the beaches of Normandy as you know. There were other nationalities among them, but the largest contingent was American and they were the ones who got the bloodiest battles and lost so many men.

Tonight, 10 past midnight, that will be actually tomorrow then ;) the French TV is going to show every 30 minutes the actual progression of the troops in what is called the longest night ever. French people have tied the colours of the US and France all around their gardens, porchs, trees, and I have been watching for hours the story, the honoring and the interviews of these heroes. It's just so moving.

Despite all the disagreements that the nations of our world may have right now, nobody forgets those brave men who fought to free us.

And all I heard tonight can be summarized at what some important French official said to an American veteran when he said thank you for the honours and the medal. He said "No,sir, I thank you, I was born in 46 and thanks to you I was born a free man.".

It's also the first time that a German leader joins the celebration. Sixty years later, that's a beautiful thing to see.

P.S. This is a thread about celebrating heroes, honouring them. It's not political.

Many of us lost family members in the war and it's a chance to tell stories about them, not about politics these days.

Tonight on TV we are listening to stories of all sides, young Germans who were scared to death that day, Quebecois who were glad to save the land of their ancestors, black American Soldiers who fought under difficult conditions due to racism, they are all heroes, they all deserve respect, so let's forget politics, it doesn't belong here.

I watched Queen Elizabeth's speech and the last speeches from Chirac and Schroeder....I have to say, it was pretty incredible. The first time a French president and German chancellor met on D-Day in Caen...very moving. Schroeder's speech, especially, was amazing...to hear him say that D-Day marked the beginning of the German people's freedom from Nazi-ism, as well as the French and the rest of Europe...very sincere, respectable, and powerful. Not to mention the story of his father...

Of course, the passing of former President Reagan is a big thing too, but it would be a shame to forget about all the other people that passed away the same second that he did. Just because he was a president doesn't make him any more important than you or me or the family down the street. We are all chased by death, and there is always a place for mourning. But, at the end of the day, we should spend more time appreciating what we have, rather than mourning that which we have lost.

We only come this way once, people...I hope you enjoy it.

I've been watching Band of Brothers series this week... I have it on Demand TV.... but I was watching it on the news all week and documentaries......