Looking back at the World Wars, I think about how many of our veterans are left. So many sacrificed their lives for us. And there are so few now. I hope we can keep carrying our torch for them.
The wineries in France helped in the World Wars. The tunnels beneath the cities of Reims and Epernay in the Champagne region were used by the Allies. I am sure there are many other instances which I am not aware of, but I love history and would appreciate hearing how wineries assisted the Allies.
There was a wonderful photo montage on Yahoo! a few weeks ago, where Dutch historian Jo Teeuwisse discovered 300 negatives in a flea market and began to research the sites of the photos, then merged these historical photos with the locations as they now appear. Here is the web link to those photos. They really make you pause and think… you may have walked or drove through that intersection, or ate at the cafe, but in the past there were soldiers marching, crumbled buildings, bomb holes in the road. Really the photo montage is amazing.
I took many photos when I went to Paschendale and Normandy 2 years ago. I posted a few photos, and I think for my tribute this year, I am posting more of these photos. I hope you enjoy them, and think about them, and maybe toast these soldiers with a bottle of Champagne.
