Posted on 06/06/2009 8:27:58 PM PDT by naturalman1975
Sixty-five years after Hitler failed to make Britain’s D-Day effort a footnote in world history, France and America finally realised his dream yesterday.
As thousands of British veterans paid their final respects to the men they left behind on Normandy’s beaches, President Nicolas Sarkozy and President Barack Obama presented D-Day – the turning point of the Second World War – as a Franco-American affair
Despite months of diplomatic wrangling between London, Paris and Washington, the Queen remained absent from the official commemoration of the 65th anniversary, held at the American cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach at Colleville-sur-Mer. And Prince Charles, without the Duchess of Cornwall by his side, made only a token appearance, laying a wreath in honour of the war dead just moments before the end of the 90-minute ceremony.
Earlier in the day he had been lost for words when Ernest Townsend, 86, a Royal Artillery gunner at the Normandy landings, asked him: ‘Why isn’t your mother here?’
Mr Townsend was one of about 800 Second World War ex-servicemen who met the Prince while paying their respects at a Commonwealth cemetery in Bayeux, the final resting place of more than 4,000 Commonwealth and other soldiers.
About 5,000 family, friends and well-wishers from Britain, France and other European countries applauded as the men marched under regimental banners.
Though clearly happy to see the Prince after his 11th-hour invitation, the French government’s perceived snub to the Queen continued to anger Mr Townsend and his comrades.
‘I told him how pleased I was to see him, but I’m a plain-speaking man and I also asked why his mother wasn’t here,’ he said.
‘He just smiled at me and gave me a shrug which I took to mean, “You know why, and I know why, but I can’t say.”
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Why is Bozo shading his eyes?
Charles with his ribbons his mummy gave him and his pet sock monke......no, never mind, that is our Kenyan Precedent sadly.
D Day Veterans deserved much more respect than that POS clown posse parade of polididiots and frivolity could ever present !
I really hate seeing that limpwristed metrosexual attempting a salute with his prettily manicured hand.
0’s on the wrong foot.
Does anyone else get the impression that something is very “not right” about Gordon Brown?
Oh, and what a ludicrous excuse for a salute from our own Dear Leader.
She joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, as No. 230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Windsor. She trained as a driver and mechanic, drove a military truck, and rose to the rank of Junior Commander.[22] She is, at present, "the only living head of state who served in uniform during World War II"
Most of what he wears are minor ceremonial decorations - of a type awarded to tens of thousands of British and Commonwealth servicemen as a matter of participation in certain events. His Royal Highness did spend over five years as a sailor on active deployment with the Royal Navy and is as entitled to these as any other serviceman. Others are civil awards for services to charity and similar, and he's spent much of his life engaged in the type of work that receives them.
He has the Queen's Service Order of New Zealand "for valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or appointed office." As the active Patron of a large number of charities operating in New Zealand, he has earned this decoration.
The Queen's Coronation Medal, Silver Jubilee Medal, and Golden Jubilee Medal are sheer courtesies awarded at the time of the Coronation and the Jubilee to tens of thousands British and Commonwealth servicemen with qualifying service. He has as much right to these as any other man who has served in the uniform.
The Canadian Forces Decoration is awarded to virtually any member of the Canadian Armed Forces who serves twelve years with good conduct. He is Colonel-In-Chief of seven Canadian Regiments, and this is qualifying service.
The New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal is similar to the Coronation and Jubilee Medals. A courtesy award given to a great many people who served in the New Zealand Defence Force in honour of the commemoration of a particular situation.
In every case, the Prince of Wales has earned the medals he is wearing through qualifying service. He has a number of others he hasn't earned - he isn't wearing them on this occasion. He's only wearing the ones he has earned.
Did France give us a cemetery??
B0z0 Zer0 - you have no clue!
Why is he saluting?
I am dumb on these issues, but doesn’t rank determine who salutes first?
I am aware of hundreds (actually more) of years of Britain/Mainland issues over various things - from religion, to the European Union), but what gives that she can't get off her high-horse and pay respects to the many who gave their lives for the turning point of WWII?
Her Majesty is 83 years old, the Duke of Edinburgh (himself a WWII veteran who would have insisted on accompanying his wife) is 86. They are still very healthy for their age, but they can't just jump across the channel at will. It takes planning.
She wasn’t invited.
Thank you for the information. If my memory is correct HRH has served in all three branches of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces in his role as future Commander in Chief. Which is more than one can say of TOTUS unless you count the apologist branch of the Weather Underground.
I assume he is responding to salutes by American veterans or ex-servicemen off to the side out of sight.
None of the other men in that line would salute as a matter of protocol (the Prince of Wales would return a salute only if in uniform and wearing his hat, the Prime Ministers and President Sarkozy would not salute). Somewhere along the line it has become protocol for US Presidents to return salutes no matter what they are wearing, so President Obama is probably acting correctly according to protocol. The others are also doing so according to the protocols of their own countries.
as a 1st gen Scottish American, seeing the treatment by 0bama’s ‘administration’ is infuriating and embarrassing. (don’t get me wrong, the administration infuriates me with it’s treatment of me and people like me... those that have a job and don’t ask for handouts)
i’m glad to see the Queen stayed away... these ‘men’ do a disservice to the valor and honor of those that came before.
I didn’t know Sarkozy was so tiny.
What little, little men.
The giants are those who took that beach and carried it into history.
We shall have to look to their stern countenance ever over our shoulder for strengthening in the storm--
--for all we'll get from the petty egos is nauseating narcissism.
And our puke poseur returned the bust of Winston Churchill--
--who had more character in his pinkie than Hussein has evinced in his megalomaniac ramblings since his fog-shrouded birth.
As for the Jerry Lewis Who Would Be King, what on earth is he doing not inviting the Queen.
We cut out of there in 1699 and there's just less and less there to admire.
God Bless the veterans of Normandy.
They hold the high ground of history.
Yeah .......right. Sure he earned all that. Keep telling yerself such.
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