Pet Peeves:
I don't know about you, but it drives me crazy to call a phone number and get a recording along the following lines - "you have reached 123-4567, please leave a message after the tone and we'll get back you".
Who exactly 'will get back' to me after the tone ??
Usually the message is delivered by a mild voiced female; even if you are calling a single male.
What is he or she afraid of that they cannot identify the 'party to whom you are calling' other than by a telephone number ??
It happened again to me last week. I called the number of a Realtor which appeared along with his name in Big Bold Letters on a massive Bill Board. Again - the meek woman's voice - you have reached number ....
In such cases there are three possibilities the caller must contend with:
First - that he or she had a wrong number to begin with and with "the voice" has linked with God Knows Who.
Or Second - that he or she has the correct number but dialed it incorrectly.
And of course, Finally, that he or she has the correct number, has dialed it properly and has reached his intended party and yet is still left in doubt since the 'one who answers' fails to identify themselves save for confirming their phone number which is said so quickly it fails to register with you in any event. Dah.
Again I ask, what is to be gained by just answering with your number. Is someone going to reach into your phone and throttle you by the throat. You would certainly think so.
I often wonder how they like getting their calls answered in the same manner? The three options above must go through their minds as well. And yet they persist.
Well there is a simple answer to all this confusion ...
And in the case of my call last week - for someone to do this in Business is even more incomprehensible. Do they not want you to easily reach them? Why leave an enquiring party (ie potential customer) in doubt?
Going back to the Realtor's name and number on the massive Bill Board - when I called I was expecting something along the following lines:
"Hi You Have Reached Fast Eddy, your Realtor's Realtor, can't come to the phone right now since I am out selling one of my valuable client's homes - leave a message though and I will get back to you just as fast as Fast Eddy can. And Remember - Nobody Out Sells Fast Eddy"
Or Maybe again, I wrote the number down incorrectly or dialed it incorrectly or ...
You get the idea.
As I see it..
'K.D. Galagher'
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Today; Remembrance Day 2011
Levels of Sacrifice: My Three Heroes.
I had not planned to do this Blog this morning but some of you had enquired about the real facts behind Major George Hees' shattered elbow so I thought I would provide you with that information along with some other of hopeful interest to you.
First though, Remembrance Day each year is primarily to recall and thank in quiet prayer, those who paid the Supreme Sacrifice in the Defence of their Country. As I mentioned in yesterday's Blog, some 110,000 Canadians died in the Two World Wars which is a very high number given the small size of our country - especially 50 and 90 years ago.
One of those was the Brother of my Grandfather - Sgt. Robert (Bob) John Bell. Great Uncle Bob bled to death in no-man's land, during the Battle of the Somme River, in the early morning hours of September 16, 1916.
But Remembrance Day is also an opportunity to for us to thank those who sacrificed in other ways. Two of those soldiers are also my Heroes.
Let's talk first about Maj. George Hees since his war injury sparked the writing of this Blog.
Major Hees was attached to the Canadian First Army during the famous Battle of the Scheldt Estuary, in Holland, between October 1st and November 8, 1944. It was imperative for the Allies to seize this land from the Nazis since it allowed for the opening of the Port of Antwerp which would enable us to land more troops and equipment but especially food for the starving peoples of the Netherlands.
In the early morning hours, before sun-up, Major Hees walked up to the Estuary to do reconnaissance. He had a pistol in his holster but for some reason (the Hand of God ?) he took that pistol out of its holster and placed it in his mid-rift. Unknown to Maj Hees, the sun began to rise behind him and a German sniper took advantage of the fact that George Hees was now silhouetted against the background of the rising sun. The next thing Mr. Hees recalls is that something in the nature of a "ballpeen hammer slammed against his elbow".
He soon ended up at a medic station where the first thing his attendant did was remove the pistol from the waist. The attendant enquired of Major Hees "why would you be walking around with a fully cocked pistol in your mid-drift?"
Sure enough, the gun was cocked and ready to fire. Closer inspection confirmed that the gun had been damaged by the rifle shot fired by the German Sniper. The bullet had ricocheted off the pistol and into Hees' elbow.
George Hees was dumbfounded. Never before could he recall taking out his weapon from its holster and placing it in his waist belt. So why this time?
Whatever the reason, it very likely saved his life in those early morning hours on the Scheldt.
By early November the Scheldt Estuary had been taken and soon the Port of Antwerp was open to Allied Shipping. But the price for Canada had come dearly, some 6 thousand of our young soldiers were either killed or wounded during the course of that month long battle.
I saved my Third Hero for my Father, Robert Ralph Bell.
Dad was a gunner , wireless operator in the tanks of the British Columbia Dragoons. Born and raised in Belleville Ontario it is a bit of story how he ended up with the BCDs but I won't get into that now.
After fighting his way up Italy and then into Holland, my Dad missed out on the celebrations of VE Day - Victory in Europe Day because he was stuck in a military hospital.
His wound injury came about in mid April 1945 less than a month from war's end in Europe. Dad's tank was part of a convoy and they had come across a large clearing. What they did in such cases was drive through one at a time to avoid mass casualties should German artillery be setup in the periphery of the clearing. Dad's tank - and M4 Sherman, was second in line.
The first tank cleared the opening and went on its way. Dad's tank started through and was immediately hit by a large artillery shell. The Commander, who had been looking out one of the hatches, was decapitated. The gunner, was in agony from a spray of shrapnel. Some shrapnel pieces had also hit my father in the left cheek of his face. The driver was unhurt but he froze - the tank came to a complete stop.
Dad yelled at the driver to keep moving - "we're sitting ducks" and the tank once again began its forward motion. He then contacted the first tank to return and knock out the artillery piece - which it soon did.
Their tank was hit again for a second time, knocking off its track - so it now stood permanently motionless. But by now the first tank had returned and neutralized the German field piece.
Dad never got a medal for what he did that day - nor even a wound stripe for the shrapnel in his face. And to boot, he was hospitalized come VE Day.
But he was alive - and I can thank him for my presence here today.
So Dad, you are my most Especial Hero.
These stories although interesting are not unusual - many other of our now old veterans could tell similar ones.
On this Remembrance Day - please go to your nearest Cenotaph and give thanks for their sacrifice.
'K.D. Galagher'
I had not planned to do this Blog this morning but some of you had enquired about the real facts behind Major George Hees' shattered elbow so I thought I would provide you with that information along with some other of hopeful interest to you.
First though, Remembrance Day each year is primarily to recall and thank in quiet prayer, those who paid the Supreme Sacrifice in the Defence of their Country. As I mentioned in yesterday's Blog, some 110,000 Canadians died in the Two World Wars which is a very high number given the small size of our country - especially 50 and 90 years ago.
One of those was the Brother of my Grandfather - Sgt. Robert (Bob) John Bell. Great Uncle Bob bled to death in no-man's land, during the Battle of the Somme River, in the early morning hours of September 16, 1916.
But Remembrance Day is also an opportunity to for us to thank those who sacrificed in other ways. Two of those soldiers are also my Heroes.
Let's talk first about Maj. George Hees since his war injury sparked the writing of this Blog.
Major Hees was attached to the Canadian First Army during the famous Battle of the Scheldt Estuary, in Holland, between October 1st and November 8, 1944. It was imperative for the Allies to seize this land from the Nazis since it allowed for the opening of the Port of Antwerp which would enable us to land more troops and equipment but especially food for the starving peoples of the Netherlands.
In the early morning hours, before sun-up, Major Hees walked up to the Estuary to do reconnaissance. He had a pistol in his holster but for some reason (the Hand of God ?) he took that pistol out of its holster and placed it in his mid-rift. Unknown to Maj Hees, the sun began to rise behind him and a German sniper took advantage of the fact that George Hees was now silhouetted against the background of the rising sun. The next thing Mr. Hees recalls is that something in the nature of a "ballpeen hammer slammed against his elbow".
He soon ended up at a medic station where the first thing his attendant did was remove the pistol from the waist. The attendant enquired of Major Hees "why would you be walking around with a fully cocked pistol in your mid-drift?"
Sure enough, the gun was cocked and ready to fire. Closer inspection confirmed that the gun had been damaged by the rifle shot fired by the German Sniper. The bullet had ricocheted off the pistol and into Hees' elbow.
George Hees was dumbfounded. Never before could he recall taking out his weapon from its holster and placing it in his waist belt. So why this time?
Whatever the reason, it very likely saved his life in those early morning hours on the Scheldt.
By early November the Scheldt Estuary had been taken and soon the Port of Antwerp was open to Allied Shipping. But the price for Canada had come dearly, some 6 thousand of our young soldiers were either killed or wounded during the course of that month long battle.
I saved my Third Hero for my Father, Robert Ralph Bell.
Dad was a gunner , wireless operator in the tanks of the British Columbia Dragoons. Born and raised in Belleville Ontario it is a bit of story how he ended up with the BCDs but I won't get into that now.
After fighting his way up Italy and then into Holland, my Dad missed out on the celebrations of VE Day - Victory in Europe Day because he was stuck in a military hospital.
His wound injury came about in mid April 1945 less than a month from war's end in Europe. Dad's tank was part of a convoy and they had come across a large clearing. What they did in such cases was drive through one at a time to avoid mass casualties should German artillery be setup in the periphery of the clearing. Dad's tank - and M4 Sherman, was second in line.
The first tank cleared the opening and went on its way. Dad's tank started through and was immediately hit by a large artillery shell. The Commander, who had been looking out one of the hatches, was decapitated. The gunner, was in agony from a spray of shrapnel. Some shrapnel pieces had also hit my father in the left cheek of his face. The driver was unhurt but he froze - the tank came to a complete stop.
Dad yelled at the driver to keep moving - "we're sitting ducks" and the tank once again began its forward motion. He then contacted the first tank to return and knock out the artillery piece - which it soon did.
Their tank was hit again for a second time, knocking off its track - so it now stood permanently motionless. But by now the first tank had returned and neutralized the German field piece.
Dad never got a medal for what he did that day - nor even a wound stripe for the shrapnel in his face. And to boot, he was hospitalized come VE Day.
But he was alive - and I can thank him for my presence here today.
So Dad, you are my most Especial Hero.
These stories although interesting are not unusual - many other of our now old veterans could tell similar ones.
On this Remembrance Day - please go to your nearest Cenotaph and give thanks for their sacrifice.
'K.D. Galagher'
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
11 / 11 / 11 Part 2
In the mid 1980s the Progressive Conservatives finally came back into power after an long electoral drought.
One area of complaint by the Electorate against the former Liberal Government was the poor way in which our Veterans were being treated by their Government and in particular by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Things were so bad, a Commission of Inquiry had been established to hear Veterans' complaints and to then Recommend Needed Changes.
It is with this background that Major George Hees, M.P., P. C. was appointed at age 74 to the position of Minister of Veterans Affairs.
His first official act was to shut down the Commission. He knew what was wrong with the Department and with the former Government's treatment of Veterans and he "did not need to await a year for a Commission to report on what needed to be done." Hees went on to say, "I'll do it now".
And he did !
George Hees was supported by a small Staff Team which consisted, among others, of four persons - Shirley who had remained with Mr. Hees from his MP days and joined by Elizabeth, Del and Yours Truly.
Mr. Hees, a wounded veteran himself, taught the four of us what it meant to be a veteran in the service of Canada. "You risked having your head blown off, or an arm or a leg lost" all for the princely sum of $1.50 per day.
"Our Veterans deserve the Very Best" and he coined the Phrase - 'Courtesy, Generosity, and Speed'.
Heaven help the Bureaucrat who failed to show Courtesy to a veteran client after Mr. Hees was appointed. They deserved respect and they got it.
As for Generosity, I was with him when he told the Decision Makers in the Department that he did not want them to agonize over whether or not to grant a claim. "Give them them the Benefit of the Doubt and Give them the Money" he demanded. And they did.
And as for Speed, decisions were bogged down and were taking years to be processed. "Our guys will be dead by the time DVA renders its decision" said Hees. "Speed up the process" - and they reduced it to months. On each of his frequent visits to Veterans Affairs HQ in Prince Edward Island, he insisted on reviewing the progress the Department was continually making in improving their processing times. Bureaucrats confided in me that they truly believed Minister Hees would eventually lose interest - 'like all those before him' - but he never did and they respected him for that. As did we his personal Staff.
When his term ended four years later he would be called the Best Minister of Veterans Affairs - ever - by both Veterans and Departmental Officials alike.
(I mentioned George Hees' wound - it amounted to a shattered elbow - but should have been fatal as I will try to relate to you in a future Blog.)
So the four of us came away with great respect for what our Veterans had undergone in the up to six years fighting the powerful Axis Forces in the Second World War. Many did not return - some 55,000 Canadians were killed in that war alone. WWI saw another 66,000 remain beneath simple white crosses. So in total, for a small country like Canada, over 110,000 of our young manhood made the Supreme Sacrifice.
Reports of late once again complain about the poor treatment our Service Men and Women are receiving at the Behest of Veterans Affairs. And included in those complaints is the allegation that the Royal Canadian Legion is MIA (I will deal specifically with this latter issue later).
That said, I am admittedly not up to speed on what has gone wrong here but a recent event has convinced me that the Department has slipped sadly backwards from the days of our Boss.
My 93 year old Uncle - a veteran of WW II had a couple of serious falls of late and found himself admitted to hospital. His wife - my Aunt, remains living in their apartment at a Retirement Home. They have been married for over 70 years.
My Aunt called me recently to tell me that 'Mel' would be moving from the hospital to a nursing home and she was naturally distraught. After 70 years, to be split up is too traumatic to contemplate.
To help her somewhat, I offered to contact Veterans Affairs to see if they had any programs to assist them.
First off, I tried to telephone the District Office which serviced their home area. No number existed.
I then (given my background) called the current Minister's Office for that number and they too did not have it. (We'd have been flogged back in the 80s for lack of such info.) They suggested I call the Regional Office in Kirkland Lake.
Which I did - manoeuvring through all the prompts. I finally spoke with a person and was told that you cannot contact a District Office directly. They'd do it for me and "in due course someone from the District Office would be in touch".
At this point, I was thinking about my distraught Aunt and was most anxious to get back to her with some news.
Eventually, the District Office did call me and took the particulars of my Uncle's situation. They thought they could help but paperwork would be naturally required.
Great says I - send a councillor out asap to see my Uncle and Aunt and the councillor can get all the needed paper work done. The women on the end of the phone nearly giggled - they have not had field councillors for years. The Veteran must get his or her own paperwork in order and the send it in. We are talking here of late 80 and 90 year olds from WWII.
When George Hees was there and for years after, a contingent of councillors was available to attend at the Veteran's own home and provide advice and assistance to these mostly old fellows who, as mentioned above, laid their lives on the line for a buck and a half a day.
No more apparently. They are now on their own. Incredible. George Hees, was he alive today, would have been speechless.
I decided to do this councillor work myself.
So I said to the nice District Office Lady, could I please have a telephone number so I can reach her should any questions arise when filling out the paperwork. Nope - not possible - you need to work through the Regional Office up north in Kirkland Lake.
An e-mail address then. "No can do".
So how am I to get the necessary data to you, I enquired? She gave me their general District Office fax number.
So things have really changed.
Courtesy, Generosity and Speed seem to be something from the past - the George Hees past.
Our Veterans deserve better; they desperately need another George Hees to champion their cause.
As I see it..
'K.D. Galagher'
One area of complaint by the Electorate against the former Liberal Government was the poor way in which our Veterans were being treated by their Government and in particular by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Things were so bad, a Commission of Inquiry had been established to hear Veterans' complaints and to then Recommend Needed Changes.
It is with this background that Major George Hees, M.P., P. C. was appointed at age 74 to the position of Minister of Veterans Affairs.
His first official act was to shut down the Commission. He knew what was wrong with the Department and with the former Government's treatment of Veterans and he "did not need to await a year for a Commission to report on what needed to be done." Hees went on to say, "I'll do it now".
And he did !
George Hees was supported by a small Staff Team which consisted, among others, of four persons - Shirley who had remained with Mr. Hees from his MP days and joined by Elizabeth, Del and Yours Truly.
Mr. Hees, a wounded veteran himself, taught the four of us what it meant to be a veteran in the service of Canada. "You risked having your head blown off, or an arm or a leg lost" all for the princely sum of $1.50 per day.
"Our Veterans deserve the Very Best" and he coined the Phrase - 'Courtesy, Generosity, and Speed'.
Heaven help the Bureaucrat who failed to show Courtesy to a veteran client after Mr. Hees was appointed. They deserved respect and they got it.
As for Generosity, I was with him when he told the Decision Makers in the Department that he did not want them to agonize over whether or not to grant a claim. "Give them them the Benefit of the Doubt and Give them the Money" he demanded. And they did.
And as for Speed, decisions were bogged down and were taking years to be processed. "Our guys will be dead by the time DVA renders its decision" said Hees. "Speed up the process" - and they reduced it to months. On each of his frequent visits to Veterans Affairs HQ in Prince Edward Island, he insisted on reviewing the progress the Department was continually making in improving their processing times. Bureaucrats confided in me that they truly believed Minister Hees would eventually lose interest - 'like all those before him' - but he never did and they respected him for that. As did we his personal Staff.
When his term ended four years later he would be called the Best Minister of Veterans Affairs - ever - by both Veterans and Departmental Officials alike.
(I mentioned George Hees' wound - it amounted to a shattered elbow - but should have been fatal as I will try to relate to you in a future Blog.)
So the four of us came away with great respect for what our Veterans had undergone in the up to six years fighting the powerful Axis Forces in the Second World War. Many did not return - some 55,000 Canadians were killed in that war alone. WWI saw another 66,000 remain beneath simple white crosses. So in total, for a small country like Canada, over 110,000 of our young manhood made the Supreme Sacrifice.
Reports of late once again complain about the poor treatment our Service Men and Women are receiving at the Behest of Veterans Affairs. And included in those complaints is the allegation that the Royal Canadian Legion is MIA (I will deal specifically with this latter issue later).
That said, I am admittedly not up to speed on what has gone wrong here but a recent event has convinced me that the Department has slipped sadly backwards from the days of our Boss.
My 93 year old Uncle - a veteran of WW II had a couple of serious falls of late and found himself admitted to hospital. His wife - my Aunt, remains living in their apartment at a Retirement Home. They have been married for over 70 years.
My Aunt called me recently to tell me that 'Mel' would be moving from the hospital to a nursing home and she was naturally distraught. After 70 years, to be split up is too traumatic to contemplate.
To help her somewhat, I offered to contact Veterans Affairs to see if they had any programs to assist them.
First off, I tried to telephone the District Office which serviced their home area. No number existed.
I then (given my background) called the current Minister's Office for that number and they too did not have it. (We'd have been flogged back in the 80s for lack of such info.) They suggested I call the Regional Office in Kirkland Lake.
Which I did - manoeuvring through all the prompts. I finally spoke with a person and was told that you cannot contact a District Office directly. They'd do it for me and "in due course someone from the District Office would be in touch".
At this point, I was thinking about my distraught Aunt and was most anxious to get back to her with some news.
Eventually, the District Office did call me and took the particulars of my Uncle's situation. They thought they could help but paperwork would be naturally required.
Great says I - send a councillor out asap to see my Uncle and Aunt and the councillor can get all the needed paper work done. The women on the end of the phone nearly giggled - they have not had field councillors for years. The Veteran must get his or her own paperwork in order and the send it in. We are talking here of late 80 and 90 year olds from WWII.
When George Hees was there and for years after, a contingent of councillors was available to attend at the Veteran's own home and provide advice and assistance to these mostly old fellows who, as mentioned above, laid their lives on the line for a buck and a half a day.
No more apparently. They are now on their own. Incredible. George Hees, was he alive today, would have been speechless.
I decided to do this councillor work myself.
So I said to the nice District Office Lady, could I please have a telephone number so I can reach her should any questions arise when filling out the paperwork. Nope - not possible - you need to work through the Regional Office up north in Kirkland Lake.
An e-mail address then. "No can do".
So how am I to get the necessary data to you, I enquired? She gave me their general District Office fax number.
So things have really changed.
Courtesy, Generosity and Speed seem to be something from the past - the George Hees past.
Our Veterans deserve better; they desperately need another George Hees to champion their cause.
As I see it..
'K.D. Galagher'
Monday, November 7, 2011
Libya... They Are Shocked !!!
In the same way Captain Renault was "shocked" that gambling was going on in Rick's Bar as the good Captain was in the process of picking up his winnings.
So too with Libya - The Allies are "shocked" that Muslim extremists have taken over the government from mad-man Dictator Muammar Qaddafi. And that they have installed the hated Sharia Law. Oh my.
In the case of the latter - Sharia Law, was it not our esteemed Premier, - the Right Honourable Dalton McGuinty who wanted to see that Law in force in Ontario? So why the surprise that real muslims would want the same in a majority muslim country like Libya?
As readers will know, I did not support the Allies in their efforts to depose M. Qaddafi. That he was a bad man - to be sure. But that he kept worse men in line - ie the Extreme Muslims cannot honestly be argued; Al - Qaeda, Hamas, Fatah, Hezbollah, the Taliban and so on.
And sadly, it sends a message to other Qaddafi types that they too can expect the same treatment from the West should push come to shove. And this is most worrisome in regard to Saudi Arabia.
What is certain here is that the Arab Spring is quickly turning into an Arab Winter with Jews and Christians alike facing more and more persecution, injury and death. Moderate Muslims too, who cherish freedom and human liberty, are facing their countrymen's wrath.
When President Bush Sr. pulled back from Iraq during the first Gulf War - leaving Saddam Hussein to live another day - the brilliance of his move was immediately obvious. It was Hussein and company who were keeping Iran in check and without him, Iran would quickly move to fill the vacuum. This is exactly what has happened as a result of Geo. W's impetuous act a decade later.
Again, there is no doubt that Hussein was a very evil person but when compared to the alternative, the Iranian Ayatollahs, he was much preferable. These Ayatollahs who are on record as promising to obliterate Israel from the face of the earth.
So with Libya gone and Egypt and Iraq before them, things are getting much worse than better.
On the positive side, rumblings are now being heard about a possible Israeli attack on Iran's Nuclear Facilities. Hopefully this will come to pass. If it does not and when Iran's insane leaders finally obtain a functional nuclear arsenal all bets for peace are off and the imminent danger of all out nuclear war will be once again upon us.
As I see it....
K.D. Galagher'
So too with Libya - The Allies are "shocked" that Muslim extremists have taken over the government from mad-man Dictator Muammar Qaddafi. And that they have installed the hated Sharia Law. Oh my.
In the case of the latter - Sharia Law, was it not our esteemed Premier, - the Right Honourable Dalton McGuinty who wanted to see that Law in force in Ontario? So why the surprise that real muslims would want the same in a majority muslim country like Libya?
As readers will know, I did not support the Allies in their efforts to depose M. Qaddafi. That he was a bad man - to be sure. But that he kept worse men in line - ie the Extreme Muslims cannot honestly be argued; Al - Qaeda, Hamas, Fatah, Hezbollah, the Taliban and so on.
And sadly, it sends a message to other Qaddafi types that they too can expect the same treatment from the West should push come to shove. And this is most worrisome in regard to Saudi Arabia.
What is certain here is that the Arab Spring is quickly turning into an Arab Winter with Jews and Christians alike facing more and more persecution, injury and death. Moderate Muslims too, who cherish freedom and human liberty, are facing their countrymen's wrath.
When President Bush Sr. pulled back from Iraq during the first Gulf War - leaving Saddam Hussein to live another day - the brilliance of his move was immediately obvious. It was Hussein and company who were keeping Iran in check and without him, Iran would quickly move to fill the vacuum. This is exactly what has happened as a result of Geo. W's impetuous act a decade later.
Again, there is no doubt that Hussein was a very evil person but when compared to the alternative, the Iranian Ayatollahs, he was much preferable. These Ayatollahs who are on record as promising to obliterate Israel from the face of the earth.
So with Libya gone and Egypt and Iraq before them, things are getting much worse than better.
On the positive side, rumblings are now being heard about a possible Israeli attack on Iran's Nuclear Facilities. Hopefully this will come to pass. If it does not and when Iran's insane leaders finally obtain a functional nuclear arsenal all bets for peace are off and the imminent danger of all out nuclear war will be once again upon us.
As I see it....
K.D. Galagher'
Sunday, November 6, 2011
11 / 11 / 11 Part One
I had only planned to do one Blog this year on Remembrance Day but a conversation last eve has caused me to double my intended production.
Why So?
Specifically, to address a matter of Revisionist History on the part of Italy.
A few years back, my wife and I were in Italy when we encountered a National Holiday. I enquired as to its basis and was told that each year on April 25th the Italians mark the fall of Mussolini and their Liberation from German occupation which occurred on April 25, 1944.
Freedom from Mussolini and Liberation from Germany?
Wasn't Italy one of the three founding members of the Axis Powers along with Germany and Japan?
Didn't Italy declare war on the Allies at the same time their other Axis Buddies did in 1939?
And was it not Italy that invaded a defenceless Ethiopia in 1935 with the intent to create a "Second Roman Empire".
Surely I had heard wrong. I didn't though - they have such a day and continue to celebrate it annually.
Now to my conversation with our guests last eve.
They too had visited Italy and were recently back from their venture.
Both he and she - albeit mostly he, waxed eloquent about the "key role the Italian Resistance had played during WW II".
I nearly choked on my cappuccino; did I hear correctly - " Key Role Played by the Italian Resistance"?
I pointed out to our friends, to no apparent avail, that the Italians were our Enemy in the Second World War - and that they strongly supported their charismatic, albeit clownish, Leader Benito Mussolini. So why did they think there would be an organized resistance in Italy against the forces of evil during WWII?
Forces of Evil I might add in which Italy held prominent membership.
Apparently their Hosts had spoken at length about the fine work of the Italian Resistance during the War and they had visited numerous Museums built to propagate this fantasy.
Speaking of which, I was beginning to think I had landed in Alice in Wonderland where 'up was down and down was up'.
I quickly came to my senses though recalling my own father, who fought up through Italy, saying to me that the Canadian Soldiers never felt safe or liked in Italy; we were always viewed as the enemy. It wasn't until they reached Holland that they were amongst friends and appreciative citizenry.
But to be sure, I took the time to do some research.
Until September 3, 1943 there "is no evidence to suggest the existence of an Italian Resistance".
The significance of Sept. 3rd is that on that day, Italy surrendered to the Allies who were by then marching north up through their country.
So from the 20s and 30s Italy worked hand-in-glove with their Fascist Friends but it was not until the time of their surrender, did a Resistance begin to emerge.
Coincidence? Or more to the point, by then, the Writing was on the Wall?
Not only that, the early Resistance Groups, post Sept. 3, 1943, more often than not "fought amongst themselves" which was not surprising given the broad political spectrum these so-called freedom fighters sprung up from.
Rather than assisting the Allies, I submit this late in the day Resistance was directed more to having some say in how Italy would be run Post War. In other words, it was a bald power play on their respective parts.
At least Germany has never attempted to down play their misguidedness - they are the first to say, they erred and vow never again to put themselves in such a nefarious position.
And I respect them for that.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Why So?
Specifically, to address a matter of Revisionist History on the part of Italy.
A few years back, my wife and I were in Italy when we encountered a National Holiday. I enquired as to its basis and was told that each year on April 25th the Italians mark the fall of Mussolini and their Liberation from German occupation which occurred on April 25, 1944.
Freedom from Mussolini and Liberation from Germany?
Wasn't Italy one of the three founding members of the Axis Powers along with Germany and Japan?
Didn't Italy declare war on the Allies at the same time their other Axis Buddies did in 1939?
And was it not Italy that invaded a defenceless Ethiopia in 1935 with the intent to create a "Second Roman Empire".
Surely I had heard wrong. I didn't though - they have such a day and continue to celebrate it annually.
Now to my conversation with our guests last eve.
They too had visited Italy and were recently back from their venture.
Both he and she - albeit mostly he, waxed eloquent about the "key role the Italian Resistance had played during WW II".
I nearly choked on my cappuccino; did I hear correctly - " Key Role Played by the Italian Resistance"?
I pointed out to our friends, to no apparent avail, that the Italians were our Enemy in the Second World War - and that they strongly supported their charismatic, albeit clownish, Leader Benito Mussolini. So why did they think there would be an organized resistance in Italy against the forces of evil during WWII?
Forces of Evil I might add in which Italy held prominent membership.
Apparently their Hosts had spoken at length about the fine work of the Italian Resistance during the War and they had visited numerous Museums built to propagate this fantasy.
Speaking of which, I was beginning to think I had landed in Alice in Wonderland where 'up was down and down was up'.
I quickly came to my senses though recalling my own father, who fought up through Italy, saying to me that the Canadian Soldiers never felt safe or liked in Italy; we were always viewed as the enemy. It wasn't until they reached Holland that they were amongst friends and appreciative citizenry.
But to be sure, I took the time to do some research.
Until September 3, 1943 there "is no evidence to suggest the existence of an Italian Resistance".
The significance of Sept. 3rd is that on that day, Italy surrendered to the Allies who were by then marching north up through their country.
So from the 20s and 30s Italy worked hand-in-glove with their Fascist Friends but it was not until the time of their surrender, did a Resistance begin to emerge.
Coincidence? Or more to the point, by then, the Writing was on the Wall?
Not only that, the early Resistance Groups, post Sept. 3, 1943, more often than not "fought amongst themselves" which was not surprising given the broad political spectrum these so-called freedom fighters sprung up from.
Rather than assisting the Allies, I submit this late in the day Resistance was directed more to having some say in how Italy would be run Post War. In other words, it was a bald power play on their respective parts.
At least Germany has never attempted to down play their misguidedness - they are the first to say, they erred and vow never again to put themselves in such a nefarious position.
And I respect them for that.
As I see it...
'K.D. Galagher'
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)