Americans Who Stopped Train Attack to Speak in Paris

ABC news ^ | 23 Aug 2015 | DAVID CHIU and EMILY SHAPIRO

[SgtBob]

Change “say” to “said” ;^{

[DUMBGRUNT]

“God created war so that Americans would learn geography.”
Mark Twain

To that I would add history, and today French history.
Just one event; the poor bastard grunts at Dien Bien Phu.

Giap ordered an all-out attack against the remaining French units with over 25,000 Viet Minh against fewer than 3,000 garrison troops. At 17:00, de Castries radioed French headquarters in Hanoi and talked with Cogny.
De Castries: “The Viets are everywhere. The situation is very grave. The combat is confused and goes on all about. I feel the end is approaching, but we will fight to the finish.”
Cogny: “Of course you will fight to the end. It is out of the question to run up the white flag after your heroic resistance.”
The radio operator in his last words stated: “The enemy has overrun us. We are blowing up everything. Vive la France!”

MEN OF HONOR.
iirc a FEW WOMEN TOO.

[scottiemom]

I admire you for learning even what you described as “imperfect” French. That is exactly what most tourists to France (and indeed, to any European country) need to remember. It is the attempt at speaking the language of the natives in that country that endears the tourist. Few Americans have acquired a second language, whereas English is required to be mastered in most of the European countries.

[thesharkboy]

Absolutely. I always try to learn at least a little of the language wherever I go, except for the Czech Republic, where I had to rely on bad German. Fortunately, I had French, German, and Spanish in school, so most Western European languages are related.

[antidisestablishment]

The French military is allied with us still. For all our disputes, they remain a Western nation with a proud history and military tradition. Vive la France!

And by the way, their cheeses are worth all the ribbing they endure. Just had some flown in a couple weeks ago—magnifique.