--- In [email protected], "shempmcgurk" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> > wrote: > > --- In [email protected], MDixon6569@ wrote: > > > In a message dated 6/11/06 9:55:17 P.M. Central Daylight Time, > > > WLeed3@ writes: > > > > > >> I was sent the following and thought you would enjoy it. > > >> On Speaking English > > >> > > >> A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a Naval conference that > > >> included admirals from the US, British, Canadian, Australian > > >> and French Navies. At a cocktail reception! , he found himself > > >> standing with a group of half dozen or so officers that > > >> included personnel from most of the countries. > > >> Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their > > >> drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas > > >> Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. > > >> He then asked: "Why is it that we always have to speak English > > >> in these conferences, rather than speaking French?" > > >> Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied: "Maybe it's > > >> because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged > > >> it so you wouldn't have to speak German." > > >> It got so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop. > > > > > > Beautiful!!!!!!!!!! > > > > And, like so many glib lines, completely untrue: > > > > Country WWII deaths/100 population > > ------- -------------------------- > > France 13.5 > > > > Canada 4.0 > > Australia 5.8 > > United Kingdom 9.4 > > United States 3.2 > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_casualties_by_country > > > > Basically, the real truth in the situation is that a bunch > > of old farts are standing around drinking, taking credit > > for what other people did. There's hardly ever been an > > admiral in human history who got his *own* hands dirty > > in time of war. > > > > Plus, it's the same situation we see today. Look at the > > chart and see the *real* statistics for who paid with > > their lives for World War II and who just claims to have. > > As usual, the Americans stand around taking all the credit > > for what other people did... > > I don't understand: are you suggesting that the number of military > deaths is correlated with how well or how hard a particular > country's army fought or contributed? > > Certain army strategists -- such as General MacArthur -- devised > their battle plans to MINIMIZE the number of troop deaths. For > example, he drove the Japanese army crazy by SKIPPING Islands in the > South Pacific to invade because -- thinking outside the box as he > did -- he realized they weren't necessary to take out to win...thus > saving both American and Japanese lives. > > Or how about the atomic bombs that ended the war in the Pacific. > Certainly several hundred thousand CIVILIANS were killed but, if > many historians are correct in their estimations, had the bombs NOT > been dropped it would have cost many hundreds of thousands of > American lives to go on to the island of Japan to wage war. > > As for the incredibly high casualties amongst the Soviet Union: > well, Stalin, the fucker, held so little regard for human lives -- > his own people as well as his enemies -- that he basically fought a > war of attrition; that is, throw as many of his troops against the > Germans in as haphazard a way as possible (Stalin was NOT a military > man, was horrible at it and often overruled his own generals) that > it is fair to say that HE himself was responsible for many of his > troops death (and, of course, don't get me started on how many of > his own people he killed during peacetime...and I mention that just > to demonstrate how little regard he had for human life). > > But your point is well taken: thanks to Hollywood and the chest- > thumping of Americans, people often get the impression that they won > the war all by themselves. As a Canadian I would remind people that > Canada didn't wait until December of 1941 to go to war but did in > 1939 (my Dad was drafted in '40 and left Julliard School to go to > war; my Mother served in the women's Canadian army...my parents met > and married in the army in '45). The invasion of Dieppe -- in which > thousands of Canadians died -- was the "trial run" for D-Day and > was, I believe, the single most highest casualty day for Canadians > in history.
Shemp, I have no desire to get into a nitpickfest over who done what in World War II. I just get tired of Americans claiming that other people did the French's job for them. In the first two months of the war, France lost more soldiers than America did in the *entire* war. The French were hopelessly outmanned and outgunned by the Germans; their decision to surrender, although lamentable in some ways, was a matter of survival at that point. It's real easy for Americans to sit on their fat asses and criticize those countries who have actually had wars fought on their own territory. With the exception of their own Civil War, Americans have never had that experience. As far as war goes, they're pussies. They have never had the experience of seeing what war is like first-hand, happening in your own streets and to your own loved ones, right in front of you. They think that war is what they read in newspapers and see on newsreels. If they had actually experienced the reality of past wars first-hand, they might not be so willing to start new ones. I live with people who lost every male member of their family in those first few days of World War II. They have a slightly different perspective on things than the fat-assed Americans who like to boast over a few beers how they "won" the war. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> You can search right from your browser? It's easy and it's free. See how. http://us.click.yahoo.com/_7bhrC/NGxNAA/yQLSAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
