Monday, 9/23

There are a ton of them in France. I wonder why there aren't any in the U.S.?

I think I've written many times, at least in our trip blogs, that you can't drive around Normandy without running into a memorial to the Americans who fought and died there during World War II. The exact phrase, in fact, is “you can't swing a dead cat without running into a memorial”, a phrase that came to mind as I was looking through a few pictures from our last trip to France eight years ago (and yes, it IS sad it's been eight years. I don't know how that happened). It's true—everywhere you go, not only in Normandy but in most areas of France, you'll find a statue or a monument or a flagpole to a certain division or company that fought in that particular area. It's not surprising; after all, tens of thousands of Americans died liberating the land, and the French just want to show their appreciation.

That's cool.

And that's why a statistic I saw a few years ago made me scratch my head. In this country's very first war—The Revolutionary War—our biggest ally was France. In fact, over 7,000 French soldiers died in North America giving the U.S. its independence. Yet, as far as I know (and I could be wrong) there is not a national memorial to honor the sacrifices those soldiers made in liberating this country. The French have their memorials to Americans who fought in World War II, but we don't seem to have any memorials to the French who fought in the Revolutionary War.

I hope I'm wrong about that. I hope that someone drops me a note and lets me know that there is a memorial, even if it's in a little town somewhere in, say, Massachusetts. Then I will withdraw my complaint and admit to the world that I was wrong about something (because, as we all know, THAT never happens). But I have a feeling that there isn't one around. It might be because it was 248 years ago and any memorials have crumbled into dust. It might be that Americans don't even realize it or don't care.

I think I know which of those answers is actually correct.

Hopefully, I'm wrong. Hopefully, someone sets me straight. But if I'm not wrong and there isn't a memorial to the French soldiers who died on American soil, shouldn't there be? I mean, there are monuments galore in France to the Americans who fought and died there. Shouldn't we, at the very least, return the favor and thank THEM for helping us become a country?

(jim@wmqt.com)