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Sullenberger. That dude has big brass balls. Staring almost certain death right in the face and calm, cool, collected and performing his job at it's highest level. Amazing stuff.
He was also the most qualified person to be sitting in that seat. Think about that.
U.S. Army Technical Sergeant Frank Draper, Jr. and his fellow soldiers of Company A, 116th Infantry Regiment of the "blue and gray" 29th Division landed on the beaches of Normandy early on June 6, 1944 in the largest amphibious assault in the history of man. By the end of the day he was dead, killed in combat near the seaside caves of Vierville-sur-Mer, France. He was 26 years old.
His death devastated his family. His father, Frank P. Draper, Sr. of tiny Bedford, Virgina (pop. 3,400), built a large stone monument for the grave of his son Frank Jr. ("Juney") that alludes to the desolation of a broken heart: "We loved you Juney, dearly loved you, but God loved you best." Frank, Sr. was later to take his own life, and now lies buried next to the son he gave for the liberation of France. We can only speculate how much of the joy went out of Frank, Sr.'s life when he received the news that his son was dead on a beach half-a-world away. The violence itself is one thing, the living with the consequences and repercussions quite another.
The defeat of Nazi Germany by Allied military forces is one of the great achievements of modern times, in my opinion. An epic feat of planning, execution, and heroism, D-Day will be remember as long as men and women cherish the past.
But let us not forget in our adulation of great men such as Eisenhower, Churchill, Roosevelt, or MacArthur the contributions and sacrifices of those like Frank Draper, Jr. who is as great a hero of WWII as anyone, in my opinion. And when we think of the glory of our victory over Nazi Germany, let us not forget the broken life of Frank Draper, Sr. and thousands like him.
+1
There are millions of "Frank Drapers" that deserve to be remembered.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert Jones
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Collin Powell
George Washington Carver
Jackie Robinson
Barack Obama
Good to see that you dropped "Nelson Mandela" from your list of "Americans."
