Long ago my family and I lived in Europe. My husband’s work was there and we have stayed in touch with many of our friends.
He received an email from a wonderful woman that helped him with his French, Nada. She said that her mother had adopted a US veteran grave from WWII, and every year she and her mother would decorate the grave.
I had never heard of this, and it was very touching to me that this soldier was remembered by a grateful European family.
I do remember taking our children on a Battle of the Bulge tour one winter, during the same time and winter conditions of the real battle. We were pleased to see small memorials in almost every town to the US soldier. These were very specifically US tanks, or statues of just the average US enlisted man.
Also sad were the tour busses full of US veterans, visiting the past. Most of those veterans are gone now, but they must have been warmed by the gratitude shown in these small towns.
So know that Memorial day is celebrated overseas also, by many people that still respect the United States, just not our present day leader.
Belgium is very far from California, but Ricardo Parra is remembered.
What do you think?