Duty Honor Country
Active member
A tribute to France.
Ever since Operation Iraqi Freedom, relations between the United States and France have been strained. Officially, the governments of each nation say they are still close allies and will continue to work together on international affairs. The people of those two nations have taken a harder line. Since I am an American, I do not know everything that goes on in France. The news reports that I do hear seem to show there is an anti American feeling running through France. That same feeling is apparent here in the United States.
After France went against the United States at the UN regarding military action against Iraq, Americans turned anti French. The congress cafeteria, along with many other businesses, changed the names of curtain foods. French fries and French toast became freedom fries and freedom toast. The cries went out to boycott everything made in France, including their good tasting wine. Soldiers and veterans began to grumble. “Have they forgotten what we did for them in World War II,” some people said. “Have they forgotten about the thousands of lives and countless dollars we spent to give France her freedom back,” others said. These are all valid complaints, but my fellow Americans have forgotten the sacrifices France made to America before she was even a country.
The British fleet was stopped from relieving Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown by a French fleet. The British troops were bombarded by siege guns that were supplied by the French. At the battle of Yorktown, 3,000 of George Washington’s troops were French. Washington felt the need to honor the French by letting them commence the first shots at Yorktown. And it was the French who forced Washington to attack Yorktown by sending the French fleet south of New York, where Washington was planning to attack the British. When Washington first heard of this, he was furious. Yet, the French set in motion a series of events that would lead America to her independence from England. And it was a French general who refused to take the British surrender at Yorktown, saying “we are subordinate to the Americans. General George Washington will give you your orders.”
My fellow Americans, before you bash France again, please remember the sacrifices France made to make our land the United States of America.
SGT Doody
Ever since Operation Iraqi Freedom, relations between the United States and France have been strained. Officially, the governments of each nation say they are still close allies and will continue to work together on international affairs. The people of those two nations have taken a harder line. Since I am an American, I do not know everything that goes on in France. The news reports that I do hear seem to show there is an anti American feeling running through France. That same feeling is apparent here in the United States.
After France went against the United States at the UN regarding military action against Iraq, Americans turned anti French. The congress cafeteria, along with many other businesses, changed the names of curtain foods. French fries and French toast became freedom fries and freedom toast. The cries went out to boycott everything made in France, including their good tasting wine. Soldiers and veterans began to grumble. “Have they forgotten what we did for them in World War II,” some people said. “Have they forgotten about the thousands of lives and countless dollars we spent to give France her freedom back,” others said. These are all valid complaints, but my fellow Americans have forgotten the sacrifices France made to America before she was even a country.
The British fleet was stopped from relieving Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown by a French fleet. The British troops were bombarded by siege guns that were supplied by the French. At the battle of Yorktown, 3,000 of George Washington’s troops were French. Washington felt the need to honor the French by letting them commence the first shots at Yorktown. And it was the French who forced Washington to attack Yorktown by sending the French fleet south of New York, where Washington was planning to attack the British. When Washington first heard of this, he was furious. Yet, the French set in motion a series of events that would lead America to her independence from England. And it was a French general who refused to take the British surrender at Yorktown, saying “we are subordinate to the Americans. General George Washington will give you your orders.”
My fellow Americans, before you bash France again, please remember the sacrifices France made to make our land the United States of America.
SGT Doody
