Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Thursday 6 June 2019
Foe, now friend: Germans find place at D-Day sites in France

C O L L E V I L L E - S U R - M E R , Germans are buried.
France (AP) — A vicious Differences between the
foe is now a trusted friend. Allies and Germany persist
The epitome of evil is now a when it comes to cemeter-
cornerstone of postwar Eu- ies.
rope. As the 75th anniver- The Normandy American
sary of D-Day approaches, Cemetery has an aptly
Germans are now wel- named, shiny bronze stat-
comed instead of shunned ue, titled "Spirit of Ameri-
and despised like the Nazis can Youth Rising from the
who came before them. Waves," that features one
Now, a soldier wearing the perfectly muscled man
German flag on his shoulder looking upward and on-
can stroll under a star-span- ward.
gled flag at the Normandy For the German military
American Cemetery, sym- cemetery near Omaha
bolizing the mending that's Beach in La Cambe sculp-
occurred since allied na- tors chiseled two figures
tions fought their way onto that look as forbidding
French beaches held by as the black stone out of
Adolf Hitler's forces on June which they were cut.
6, 1944. "Unfortunately, there is the
"This is the most important aspect of victory and de-
thing, for which we are for- feat," Alain Dupain, the
ever grateful: That we can chief gardener at the U.S.
be here wearing our Ger- German soldiers stand during a moment of remembrance, in the German cemetery of La Cambe, cemetery. "Each nation has
man uniforms and that we in Normandy, France, Monday, June 3, 2019. its reflection in its cemetery,
meet friendly people," said Associated Press and you cannot look the
Daniel Pommer, a member same way at British, Ameri-
of a German mechanized the Germans during the didn't know what was go- Normandy invasion. U.S. can on German cemeter-
infantry battalion that vis- Normandy offensive. ing on." President Donald Trump, ies."
ited the U.S. military cem- Asked whether he hated The occupying forces in and British Prime Minister It took a long time for
etery and memorial on German troops during the France were referred to as Theresa May and Merkel people to come in large
Tuesday. war, Shaw answered "Oh, "les Boches" (the Germans) will be among them. numbers to the German
Standing amid 9,388 pris- yes! Oh yes!" for long after the war. In re- On Thursday's anniversary cemetery, where some
tine white crosses , most of More than 10 months after cent years, there has been itself, Trump will be at the 2,100 soldiers of the hated
them for Americans killed D-Day, Shaw's Army divi- an effort to make a distinc- U.S. cemetery in Norman- Waffen-SS, the Nazi's para-
during the D-Day landings sion participated in liberat- tion between the Nazis and dy overlooking Omaha military wing, are also bur-
and the fighting that fol- ing Dachau, the Nazi con- their supporters, and other Beach. Britain's May will ied.
lowed, Pommer said the centration camp outside Germans. mark the invasion in near- Some 450,000 visitors came
fallen buried at Normandy Munich where tens of thou- In the same way, Germany by Caen. Canadian Prime last year, and about one
American Cemetery "freed sands of prisoners died. now is considered the cor- Minister Justin Trudeau is in three were German. La
Europe, and that includes His eyes widen as he de- nerstone of a stable con- visiting Juno Beach, where Cambe Mayor Bernard
Germany." scribes pits and carts "full tinent and together with his country's troops landed Lenice said "even if the el-
U.S. Army veteran Pete of bodies - Jews, Germans, France, the driving force of on D-Day. French President derly might still have some
Shaw, 94, who served with prisoners of war or anybody the European Union. Emmanuel Macron plans to reticence," younger gen-
the 283rd Field Artillery Bat- that didn't agree with Hit- "We can be glad that at shuttle all over the region. erations gifted with the per-
talion during World War ler." the end of this terrible World In sharp contrast, the spective that time provides
II, bore witness under the "How could one man do War II that was started by German ambassador to have found their way there.
same American flag half an that," Shaw said of Hitler. Germany, we have an or- France is expected to high- "This is our symbol for rec-
hour earlier, teary eyed as As for the German troops der that produced the Eu- light a delegation to the onciliation, of course. We
he thought of friends he lost he hated, the veteran now ropean Union, that secures nearby La Cambe cem- have to turn the page,"
fighting ferociously against says "half of them they our peace, that secures our etery, where over 21,000 Lenice said.q
stability," German Chancel-
lor Angela Merkel said Tues-
day.
Nevertheless, don't ex-
pect to see many German
flags fluttering in north-
ern France's strong winds
alongside the flags of the
United States, Britain and
Canada.
War re-enactors are all over
Normandy these days, driv-
ing U.S. jeeps, wearing Brit-
ish uniforms and saluting al-
lied flags, but few are there
in German uniforms. World War II veteran Pete Shaw, center, from Pennsylvania, visits
German soldiers visit the German cemetery of La Cambe, in International leaders are the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer, Nor-
Normandy, France, Monday, June 3, 2019. gathering in Portsmouth, mandy, France, Monday, June 3, 2019.
Associated Press England, on the eve of the Associated Press