LET ME TELL YOU A STORY
ONCE UPON A TIME....
This cozy fireplace in Flanders, Belgium, is near the site of many deaths and much destruction
during two World Wars during the 20th century. The story of the Low Countries has been
one of war, punctuated by uncertain periods of peace and remembrance of lives lost and
what "might have been." The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1831-1832 that: "the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth....and the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations." D&C 1:35; 87:1-2.
His admonition was to study and understand "things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of nations, and the judgments which are upon the land; and a knowledge of countries and of kingdoms." D&C 88:78-79. We find wise counsel in the Lord's words and a great need for inspired statesmanship and seasoned diplomats to steer the ship of state through the treacherous waters of today.
World War I
tragic loss of life occurred, and at the end of those four years about nine million troops were dead, largely from Belgium, France and Germany! The American toll during the 19 months of United States participation in World War I was some 117,000. At the Battle of the Somme, on July 1, 1916, the British Army suffered 60,000 dead and wounded - in one day. For France and England this resulted in a "lost generation" of sturdy young men, who died in a war their country had not begun and in the snatching of life's hopes and dreams from their grasp.
In "To End All Wars" Adam Hochschild writes: "Gray-uniformed German troops headed for Belgium in 550 trains a day, some with "To Paris" chalked on their sides and bedecked with flowers by enthusiastic crowds. "You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees," the Kaiser told his soldiers. The far smaller Belgium army, however, put up an unexpectedly stiff fight. Just as horse-mad as the British, the Germans included in their invasion force eight cavalry divisions - each with more than 5,000 horses - the largest body of horsemen ever sent into war in Western Europe. A ring of Belgian forts surrounding Liege, near the German border, further delayed the invasion until they were finally pounded into submission by giant siege guns, each so large it required 36 horses to pull. Explosions from their shells flung earth and masonry 1,000 feet into the air." p. 102.
The Great War, as it was called, was burned into the hearts and minds of the Belgian people like no other experience in living memory. This commemorative program from Sunday, the 11th of April 1920, and similar annual events, must have brought a certain wistful spirit and memories of lost loved ones. We can only imagine the pain of these fine people as empty hearts ached for a father, brother, husband, son or friends killed in the fields of Flanders. Even today, the wearing of the symbolic poppy of Flanders on Armistice Day, marking the end of the war on the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, is a strong tradition in Belgium and England... "lest we forget" they say.
This Belgian Air Force representative receives a friendly handshake in recognition of American-Belgian unity of purpose in working to bring about the conditions for peace in Europe. We were both walking on the grounds of the restored Cathedral in Ypres, near the French border. This town was
literally destroyed in the First World War and rebuilt by the industrious Flemish people to its old specifications and beauty. Hochschild writes of the July 31, 1917 battle of Ypres: "The mist soon turned into almost nonstop rain, the heaviest in some 30 years. Observation aircraft could not take to the sky, weapons jammed, and the clay soil of the watery moonscape of craters became sticky; one officer likened its consistency to cheesecake, another to porridge. Guns could barely be moved, and mules and horses pulling ammunition wagons sank up to their stomachs and had to be dug out. Ambulances carrying wounded soldiers skidded off slippery roads. As the battle continued, one single day saw 26,000 British casualties. Still Haig (the British commander) pushed on." at pp. 285-287. "Pushing on" meant sending thousands to certain death from withering machine gun fire which was described as "walking through a field of lead."
Note the poignant scene depicted on this Memorial tableau in the center of Ypres and the British lion. Winston Churchill, in a January 1919 letter to the British War Graves Commission, wrote: "I should like us to acquire the whole of the ruins of Ypres...a more sacred place for the British race does not exist in the world." Germany was only in Ypres one day, but its defense had cost its very existence.
The River Leperlee appears peaceful today, however, it was the sight of continuous battles throughout the duration of the war. Passchendale is nearby and was the site of terrible loss of
life. Hochshild writes: " In the end, what separated Passchendale from the great paroxysms of
bloodshed that preceded it, was one gruesome fact no one had planned for: in addition to falling
victim to German fire, thousands of British soldiers, nowhere near the sea, drowned. It was for good reason that this corner of Europe had long been called the Low Countries; the water table is less
than two feet below ground in much of Belgium," p. 285. Poison gas, barbed wire, rapid firing
machine-guns, heavy artillery, and "over the top" charges could lead to deadly hand-to-hand combat
and the loss of thousands in an afternoon.
William Boyd, author of "Waiting for Sunrise" has written: 'I think this is the key behind the enduring obsession with that war. To our modern sensibilities it defies credulity that for more than four years European armies faced one another in a 500-mile line of trenches, stretching from the Belgium coast to the border of Switzerland.... It was a deadly war of attrition in which millions of soldiers on both sides slogged through the mud on no man's land to meet their deaths in withering blasts of machine-gun fire and artillery. And at the end of four years and with about nine million dead, the two opposing forces were essentially where they were when they started...."There is a deeper, perhaps more profound reason the war continues to preoccupy us. It was a conflict between 19th-century armies equipped with 20th-century weapons - hence the unprecedented carnage. No society today would accept such a horrendous casualty count. After the First World War, nothing in the world would ever be the same." IHT, 23.01.13
In Flanders Fields
"In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
scarce heard amid the guns below."
"We are the dead: short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunsets glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!"
"Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from friendly hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high.
If ye break the faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields."
Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915
during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium
by Lt. Colonel John McCrae
United Kingdom
Today, a quiet tree-lined lane in the heart of Belgium reminds us of the price paid
by past generations for the gift of freedom.
Near Ambiorix Square - Brussels, Belgium
World War II
General John Pershing of World War I fame, in the final days of the war, said: "if we don't go on to Berlin we will just have to do it again." The war ended with an Armistice but not unconditional surrender of the German forces. The rise of Adoph Hitler on the promise to restore German might and respectability in the world foretold a second round of aggression aimed at world domination.
His diabolical use of sophisticated propaganda, Jewish extermination, and pre-emptive invasions of neighboring countries, "while England slept", made the threat of a Second World War inevitable if the cherished freedoms preserved earlier were to be taken seriously.
The Allied invasion of Europe on June 6th 1944, under the Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower, was the beginning of the end of the Nazi Third Reich. More blood and treasure by Americans was freely spent in the great eternal cause of Liberty and Freedom for the salvation of Europe. The crucial Battle of the Bulge at Bastogne, Belgium was a tipping point in the war. German soldiers and tanks took up an aggressive Winter offensive to gain control of the seaport of Antwerp, through which Allied supplies and equipment passed to sustain our war efforts. Their attack route lead through the rugged Ardennes forests and the town of Bastogne. The American efforts at Bastogne were herculean yet the German army was poised to win the battle and surrounded our embattled troops ordering unconditional surrender in 24-hours. Our Commander, General Anthony McAuliffe, the 101st Airborne, with General George Patton and the Third Army on the way, gave the Germans the famous answer that lives in history: "NUTS" he wrote in a message to our adversaries.
On December 15, 2012 the boys joined me in a trip to Bastogne for the annual "Nuts Festival" where
patriotic Belgians join in the most heart-felt tributes imaginable to "the Americans" whom they love! Part of the festivities involves throwing Walnuts from the upper stories to the streets below in joyful recognition of what America means to them. They have not forgotten! Here, John, Taylor and I are in the center of the town square where a Pershing tank is permanently displayed. I have never seen a more genuine love for the United States of America anywhere else in the world!
The town tradition is for the Belgians to put on authentic World War II uniforms,
drive around in period jeeps, troop carriers and anything else of that vintage that will move under its own power. Here I am on the main street between "General Eisenhower" and my son, Taylor Peterson, enjoying the cold Winter day and the festive activities in anticipation of the parade that is coming down the street.
In the background is the "Hotel de Ville" (or City Hall) where we attended a ceremony and
Battle of Bastogne veterans, now in their 90's, were honored by the United States Ambassador.
The sidewalks were filled with "troops" of all descriptions!
"NUTS"!!!
An American Hero - General Anthony McAuliffe
A warm "thank you" was extended the military officer who conducted the annual wreath
laying ceremony at the Bastogne central square.
Another American Hero - General George Patton
This photograph of General George Patton, and his aides, is a classic. You can barely see his pearl handled revolver, but "Willie" his bull-terrier is front and center. Who said there is a striking match between the dog we love and our inner self! General Patton saw Victory in Europe and became the American governor in the South of Germany after the war. Having survived the war, he died of
injuries in an automobile accident with a truck driven by an American PFC. His last wish was carried out and he is buried with his troops in Luxembourg.
The Battle of the Bulge
The VE Day victory celebrations in PARIS brought joyous throngs to the streets!
" God bless America, land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home sweet home."
Irving Berlin
David A. Peterson
June 7, 2013
Brussels, Belgium
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