> Not to minimize the atrocities committed by the
>Japanese but remember when you use a term like 'Jap' you're slapping hard
>working Americans who were screwed by our government.
>
>Nuf said
>Jeff Symanski
>Tactical Truck
>Springfield Va
The advantage of having spent time in the military, is that you have to
come down to earth and get a little closer to reality. You have to
learn to live in close proximity with your fellow man. If the fellow
you are in a hole under ground (4' x 6'x6'), on a covert operation for 3
days farts, you've gotta live with it. Or if he is from Jamaica, you
can be sure he will have reffered to you as honky, chalky, whitey and a
thousand other terms. But it is just commonal-garden 'banta', and if
you take it seriously, it's you who are the loser. As an Englishman I
am regularly reffered to as a limey, a Pommey, and by the Maori's here
as a Pakeha (which is said to mean house-rat).
One of the great points about the military-vehicle collecting scene, is
it's 'international'. The common interest overrides all the silly
political correctness and looney traits of those who live so far from
reality. WW2 was 50 years ago, I and my family suffered, possibly as
much almost as anyone. But some of the delights of the last 20 years
has been my close social contact with veteren American, Canadian, German
and Italian soldiers.
When travelling to England, if you have the slightest interest in the
'Battle Of Britain', and the war in the air. A visit to the 'Battle Of
Britain Museum', at Hawkinge in Sussex is an absolute must. It is a
private museum operated by a friend of mine Mike Llewelyn on the old
wartime airfield. He has spent much time researching and setting up
meetings between surviving veteren wartime adversaries, from air battles
of the 'Battle of Britain'. Everything including values change with
time. So come on Yanks, don't take umbridge cause he said you're a Jap
or the handcart was the forerunner of your 'jeep', keep restoring those
old US vehicles so that we can show the world how it was obviously the
British ones 'that won the war'.
regards
Colin
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