Wednesday, 28 July 2010

Born Again...


Today this sporadic blog flickers back to life after 6 months of inattention. Today's post though isn't about the crazed green hypocrisy of AGW, instead it's a small reverent bow towards the wonderful WW2 generation.
As a physiotherapist I'm privileged to go into people's homes, and I'm posting a few snapshots taken in 1943 mainly in the city of Palmerston North, New Zealand. The beautiful young woman identified as Joy (below) is still beautiful although very,very frail, and her album is filled with images of other beautiful young people only identified by their Christian names; apart that is, from one young US serviceman; Will Veckert (or is that Will Ueckert ?) from Texas.
Will and his GI friends are pictured several times, (I have a few more pictures, but an incredibly slow internet connection) and presumably left New Zealand in 1943, and fought in the bloody campaigns in the Pacific in the last years of the war. Some of these men may still be alive. Alive or dead, this Kiwi blogger salutes them and their comrades who were once honoured guests in New Zealand, and who repayed that debt of hospitality many many times over.

Many Kiwi's remember them. Semper fidelis.

5 comments:

Ayrdale said...

Thanks Joven.

Paua said...

I have similar albums of young kiwi men going off to war. My Mum can remember who they all are, and who wound up in Burma and who never came back etc. Its a real shame we are losing that generation.
On the other hand, its quite embarassing to notice how Maori my ostensibly pakeha grandmother looked in all those photos, even though nobody seemed to notice at the time...or they were too polite to point it out.

Ayrdale said...

A rather repulsively racist comment Paua. Don't call again.

Paua said...

Sorry Arydale, I think you totally misunderstood me. I am proud of the Maori side of my family, and was named accordingly, what I meant was it was embarassing that My grandmothers real heritage was covered up by the family. They said she was "Spanish Gypsy".
But if you dont want me to read your blog, thats fine.
Good luck. I know who I am, but I dont think you do.

c monster said...

Sporadically checking in to your sporadic blog. Hope things are well.