[PRCo] Re: warmer temps

Tue Dec 23 18:13:24 EST 2008

John-closest thing to Maginot Line I can recall is the toll booth in movie 
"Blazing Saddles"!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Swindler" <j_swindler at hotmail.com>
To: <pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 9:50 AM
Subject: [PRCo] Re: warmer temps


> >fwschneider commented
>> > If you go on the internet you will find all sorts of references to U. > 
>> > S. Military Cemeteries in Europe, particularly in France and > 
>> > Luxembourg. But, for balance, I would suggest that those who go > there 
>> > and choose to visit our cemeteries also look at "their" places > of 
>> > internment. The sad difference is how young they drafted people > in 
>> > order to perpetuate the war. You'll find them both in German > church 
>> > yards and German military cemeteries ... teen agers from 13 on > up. 
>> > There is a German cemetery within a few miles of our military > 
>> > cemetary in Normandy and it is worth the visit for balance.>
>
>
> Not really drafted, as we would know it.  They were the "Hitler Youth" and 
> far too often, they had to be killed because they would not surrender.
>
>> The cemetery in Luxembourg has General Patton's grave. He is buried > at 
>> the front of his troops. Of course he died not leading his men > into 
>> battle but in an vehicle accident after the war.>
>
> Excuse me, but Patton was then an Army Group commander.  Generals at that 
> level would be court-marshalled if they tried to lead their men into 
> battle.  They might get captured.  The highest ranking US officer was 
> killed by the US Army Air Force.  Gen. Rose made the mistake of going 
> forward to observe the carpet bombing near St. Lo.
>
>> Something else to see is the French Maginot line, a row of > underground 
>> fortifications stretching from Luxembourg south to > Switzerland with 
>> guns aiming at Germany. For those on the list > unfamiliar with this faux 
>> pas of military history, it built after > World War I in to keep the 
>> Germans from again invading France. It > was built for another cavalry 
>> war. World War II was an aerial / > motor vehicle war. It was a classic 
>> case of defending yourself for > the last war. The Germans, in World War 
>> II, simply came around > through Belgium, and attacked the line from 
>> behind.
>
>
> Not quite.  The von Schlieffen plan used in WWI did send German forces on 
> a swing through the low countries.  They needed the maneuver space.
>
> In WWII, Case Yellow called for Guderian to lead a panzer attack through 
> the Ardennes to get behind the Allied armies.  Then a different German 
> army group would push through the low countries.  The result was Dunkirk. 
> But the 'blitzkrieg' and encirclement was Guderian in the south.
>
> The Maginot Line wasn't for a cavalry war, but a repeat of trench warfare. 
> France's problem was a low birthrate over prior 20-30 years.  What's 
> surprising is that France had a larger armor force then Germany, but 
> didn't concentrate their tank forces.
>
> It is a good idea of Fred's to visit one of these cemeteries and reflect 
> on those who 'gave up their tomorrows, for our todays'.
>
> Happy holidays
> John
>
>
>
>
>
>> > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maginot_Line> > fws> On Dec 23, 2008, at 
>> > 12:51 AM, Mark McGuire wrote:> > > Dennis and John,> >> > My dad was 
>> > also in WWII and from what very little I remember him > > telling me, 
>> > he was stationed just outside where The Battle Of The > > Bulge was. I 
>> > remember one word that sticks out in my mind. COLD. He > > said it was 
>> > so cold that their feet were getting frost bite.> > On a more humorous 
>> > note, my dad told me how scared he was when he > > first got shipped 
>> > over to Europe during WWII. He said he was so > > scared to get out of 
>> > bed that he peed in his bed and then switched > > mattresses with 
>> > another guy the next morning when nobody was > > watching. In 
>> > hindsight, I wished I would have asked dad alot more > > questions as 
>> > he's not around anymore to ask.> >> > Wishing all of you all the best 
>> > this holiday season and throughout > > the new year.> >> > -- John 
>> > Swindler <j_swindler at hotmail.com> wrote:> >> >> > Strange you should 
>> > mention this, Denni!
> s. My wife and I were > > talking about these sorts of things yesterday, 
> and the > > opportunities and blessings we have enjoyed that would have 
> been > > just a dream to our parents generation, and incomprehensible to 
> our > > grandparents and earlier.> >> > Things like - how often did ones 
> parents go to a restaurant (once), > > or how often did the family go on 
> vacation? I can count on one > > hand the number of family vacations 
> during my youth, and all > > involved staying at a relatives to save meal 
> cost. My wife has a > > similar memory of a cabin in Wisconsin and her 
> mother having to > > clean and cook the fish her dad caught. And yes, both 
> of the > > houses of our youth were heated with a coal furnace. Today I 
> can > > hear the heat pump doing it's thing. And a garage attached to the 
>  > > house. What a novel idea. (Then again, my parents didn't have to > > 
> deal with the "junk" filling up most of the garage.)> >> > Two other 
> things we talked about yesterday: the electroni!
> c > > revolution that enables us to communicate with email for instanc
> e, > > and advances in medical technology that have kept many of us > > 
> alive. Speaking of history, a distant cousin died in the yellow > > fever 
> epidemic in Cincinnati around 1875. When was the last time > > you heard 
> about a yellow fever epidemic in this country? And what > > about polio? 
> I'm just thankful for the blood pressure pills as > > there is a history 
> of heart problems in my families past.> >> > So was your dad in the 28th 
> or the 99th in December 1944? Both had > > the misfortune to be in the 
> wrong place (Ardennes) at the wrong > > time. Another cousin was in the 
> 28th, and even he claimed (and > > rightfully so) that he was never quite 
> right afterwards. In my > > dad's case, an uncle mentioned that he was 
> stranded on Malta for > > awhile, something dad never mentioned. Adds a 
> whole new meaning to > > the word 'destitute'.> >> > Many of us would 
> probably wish to go back 60-70 years to the time > > of the trolley, but I 
> doubt if we would want to stay there for very !
> > > long. It was a far - far different world.> >> > And the Andy Rooney 
> > > comment rather says it all. For many of us, we > > have reached the 
> > > age where if we want/need something, we already > > have it. As I tell 
> > > my wife, all I want is for folks to take care > > of their health and 
> > > drive safely. Everything else will take care > > of itself.> >> > 
> > > Thanks for the reminder, Dennis.> >> > I started volunteering at PTM 
> > > three years ago, and the unexpected > > joy has been to watch the 
> > > faces of the young kids during Santa and > > Pumpkin weekends.> >> > 
> > > John> >> >> >> >> From: dfc1 at windstream.net> To: 
> > > pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > >> Subject: [PRCo] warmer temps> 
> > > Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:17:46 > >> -0500> > As Oscar Hammerstein II 
> > > wrote; "Oh what a beautiful > >> morning!" I have now been up for 2 
> > > hours and the outside air > >> temperature has already doubled. It is 
> > > now 6 degrees at 7:35 in > >> the morning. Is it really that bad? 
> > > Hardly. > We live in a > >> wonderful time an!
> d I ask each of you when it was any better for > >> you? I am sitting
> in a warm home with a gas furnace that > >> automatically comes on when I 
> need heat. I can control the heat > >> from a small thermostat on the 
> wall. Who remembers coal furnaces?> > >> > My van is parked in an unheated 
> garage, but once I get out on > >> the road, it will warm up very quickly. 
> I have not had to go > >> through the annual change to winter treads for 
> over 30 years. > >> Remember putting chains on those rear wheel drive cars 
> that were > >> horrible in the snow?> > I have spent the past month 
> decorating > >> and remembering. As with most of you, my parent!> > s and 
> grandparents are no longer here in a physical sense, but the > > holiday 
> season helps us acknowledge the good and not so happy times > > of the 
> past. As we get older, we place less value on material > > items. Andy 
> Rooney said it best last night, "Don't buy me any > > gifts, If I really 
> want it, I already bought it for myself." If > > life is so bad right now, 
> why are most of us on this list without > !
> > want?> > Offer to go to your local school and do a transit > > 
> > presentation to the lifeskill students. You will see some of the > > 
> > happiest children in the world and come home thankful for what you > > 
> > have. One of the worst heartaches in the world for me working with > > 
> > children was seeing them suffer and many times lose their battle > > 
> > with life from either disease, accident or by their own hand. The > > 
> > best part of working with children was seeing them grow.> > Would > > 
> > you want to go back to another time and live? If so, what decade?> > > > 
> > My dad was 15 when the stock market crashed. He then served in > > the 
> > Civilian!> > Conservation Corps and spent Christmas of 1944 stuck in 
> > cold and > > blea> > k of what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. 
> > Want to go back > > to the 30's or 40's? > > We are having another 
> > peaceful transition > > of power next month in Washington as we 
> > inaugurate our first > > African American president. What a positive 
> > sign of our countr!
> y > > moving toward opportunity without regard for race, religion, or
>> > sex. Are we there yet? Hardly, but it is a positive step. Do you > > 
>> > want to go back to the 50's when it became so noticeable on a > > 
>> > national scene that separate but equal was hardly equal? Television > > 
>> > made the world a little smaller.> > We mark the 40th anniversary of > > 
>> > the end of the tumultuous year of 1968 with the readings from the > > 
>> > book of Genesis on Christmas Eve as the men from Apollo 8 circled > > 
>> > the moon for the very first time and showed us the view of earth > > 
>> > from space. We do live on a sparkling jewel! What a relief that was > > 
>> > after the unrest we experienced with the assassinations of MLK and > > 
>> > RFK, the misery of Vietnam, the inequity of peoples rights, and the > > 
>> > Chi!> > cago riots. Want to go back to the 60's? > > Why have we 
>> > noticed > > so much and had so much change? Advances in communication > 
>> >  > technology. Lincoln had to leave the White House and walk across > > 
>> > the street to get news from the war front via telegraph. We are a > > 
>> > grou!
> p of people who share our joys and or sorrows on a medium that > > is once 
> again changing how we view the world.> > There are two > > things certain 
> in the world (no, not death & taxes): > > People > > resist change. Change 
> is inevitable.> > I enjoy studying the past > > and know there were great 
> times and not so great times. I tend to > > study history to see how it 
> changed the lives of people and to see > > how people changed history. 
> Change is happening at a faster rate > > than ever before and we need to 
> be careful to not become too > > pessimistic. My glass is more than half 
> full!> > Merry Christmas! > > > Happy Chanukah!> Blessed Kwanza!> And 
> there is always Festivus for > > the rest of us!> > It is still 6 out, so 
> some things do not change > > as fast as we!> > sometimes wish they 
> would.> > > Dennis F. Cramer> Trombone> > >> > 
> _________________________________________________________________> > It's 
> the same Hotmail®. If by "same" you mean up to 70% faster.> > http:/!
> /windowslive.com/online/hotmail? > > ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_bro
> ad1_122008> >> > 
> ____________________________________________________________> > Get a Film 
> Degree at a school near you. Get free info. Click Here.> > 
> http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2241/fc/ > > 
> PnY6rx8PN2bwJF7DqRNMPgpi267D84UpAWEQNHL2mIaDCuDx1Dx7a/> >> >> > >
> _________________________________________________________________
> It's the same Hotmail®. If by "same" you mean up to 70% faster.
> http://windowslive.com/online/hotmail?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_broad1_122008
>
>