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'To Old Times' - A toast to American troops, then and now
OpinionJournal.com ^ | August 24, 2007 | PEGGY NOONAN

Posted on 08/23/2007 9:06:52 PM PDT by gpapa

Once I went hot-air ballooning in Normandy. It was the summer of 1991. It was exciting to float over the beautiful French hills and the farms with crisp crops in the fields. It was dusk, and we amused ourselves calling out "Bonsoir!" to cows and people in little cars. We had been up for an hour or so when we had a problem and had to land. We looked for an open field, aimed toward it, and came down a little hard. The gondola dragged, tipped and spilled us out. A half dozen of us emerged scrambling and laughing with relief.

Suddenly before us stood an old man with a cracked and weathered face. He was about 80, in rough work clothes. He was like a Life magazine photo from 1938: "French farmer hoes his field." He'd seen us coming from his farmhouse and stood before us with a look of astonishment as the huge bright balloon deflated and tumbled about.

One of us spoke French and explained our situation. The farmer said, or asked, "You are American." We nodded, and he made a gesture--I'll be back!--and ran to the house. He came back with an ancient bottle of Calvados, the local brandy. It was literally covered in dust and dry dirt, as if someone had saved it a long time.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: american; france; noonan; normandy; past; present; toast; troops; veterans; wwii

1 posted on 08/23/2007 9:06:54 PM PDT by gpapa
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To: gpapa

I bet Kennedy, Pelosi and Reid would disagree.


2 posted on 08/23/2007 9:14:49 PM PDT by Atchafalaya (When you are there thats the best)
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To: gpapa

Peggy Noonan writes some good editorials. This isn’t the first story I’ve heard about French men and women of a certain age being kind to Americans.


3 posted on 08/23/2007 9:17:19 PM PDT by SatinDoll
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To: gpapa
"We should ponder, some day when this is over, what it is we do to grow such men, and women, what exactly goes into the making of them."

It's called freedom and a NON conscripted military.....people who want to FREE others!

4 posted on 08/23/2007 9:26:11 PM PDT by goodnesswins (Being Challenged Builds Character! Being Coddled Destroys Character!)
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To: gpapa

“A funny thing. We’re so used to thinking of American troops as good guys that we forget: They’re good guys! They have American class.”

Amen, so absolutely correct.

“...what it is we do to grow such men, and women, what exactly goes into the making of them.”

I’d say GOD, Love, Morality, and Freedom should sum it up nicely.


5 posted on 08/23/2007 10:00:49 PM PDT by rockinqsranch (Dems, Libs, Socialists...call 'em what you will...They ALL have fairies livin' in their trees.)
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To: gpapa

Wow. Heed these words and take the time to read her whole editorial. Thank you, Peggy.

I am a soldier. I have to point out that a Frenchmen of the age in the article was probably Vichy if he wasn’t fighting. Piss on him and his brothers who supplied weapons to sadaam that were used to kill our young men and women. My friend was killed by a french rocket in October 2003. The rocket was produced in June 2003, after the war had started. That means the french were shipping newly produced weapons to the bad guys. french suck. Vichy sucks too. This miscreant frog was vichy and didn’t care whether he was kneeling to nazis or to degaulle.

Pissants all. Good job Peggy, but you were duped with a dusty bottle, and an intrinsically french frenchman.

Kit.


6 posted on 08/23/2007 10:53:17 PM PDT by KitJ
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To: KitJ
Wow. Just, Wow.

FMCDH(BITS)

7 posted on 08/24/2007 12:04:34 AM PDT by nothingnew (I fear for my Republic due to marxist influence in our government. Open eyes/see)
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To: SandRat; freema

ping


8 posted on 08/24/2007 8:21:40 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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