Honor Our Veterans!
November 11th, 2011 | 2:12 pm
Veterans and Monuments Men Bernard Taper, Harry Ettlinger and Horace Apgar and President of the Monuments Men Foundation Robert Edsel (second from right) at the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
During World War II, while tens of thousands of Allied troops were flooding the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, the Monuments Men were impatiently waiting to cross the English Channel for their chance to contribute. For Monuments Man James Rorimer, future director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the gravity of the situation gripped him that day as he wrote in a letter we found while researching my last book:
“We are told that the invasion of Western Europe by overwhelming forces is underway…Now I am thinking of the combat troops and the task which is theirs. We older men are anxious on the one hand to help deal the death blow to tyranny, and on the other we think of our families at home and the obligations which we have as husbands, fathers, sons, and members of the peace-time community.”
-James Rorimer Letter to his Family, June 6, 1944
Over the last few months, I have been conducting research for my next book, Saving Italy, which will also rely on the letters the Monuments Men wrote to their families. One of the first things that occurred to me while reading these letters, was the extent to which the thoughts and feelings conveyed reflect their age and maturity. The Monuments Men had an average age of 40; a few had even fought in World War I. For the most part, these heroes were not the fearless young men who went to war before their adult lives had really begun. In contrast, these men had accomplished careers, they had wives and children, they had learned lessons from life’s experiences, and they had everything to lose. Reading their letters always reminds me about their commitment to saving the cultural world and its great artistic treasures we all cherish, and the courage of their convictions in volunteering to serve.
So today, I would like to thank the Monuments Men for their service, and all of the Veterans and service men and women of our country. Their cumulative sacrifices enable us to live the lives we lead. It is a silent sacrifice, one without complaint, as these brave soldiers “just do their job” out of duty and honor to our nation. We can’t say thank you enough to these remarkable men and women. We celebrate your bravery today and every day.
Click Here to Watch a Video about The Veterans Story
Tags: D.C., James Rorimer, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Monuments Men, Monuments Men Foundation, Robert Edsel, Veterans Day, World War II, World War II Memorial
Bravo! While the Monuments Men and other veterans of the world wars are rightly still honored, we often forget the equally deserving veterans of other conflicts, from Vietnam to the two wars in Iraq and the ongoing battles in Afghanistan.
Sometimes, work like that of the Monuments Men (and women, such as the fictional character Helen Wolf in my novel, After the Auction) seems insignificant compared to valiant efforts on the front lines. However, rescuing cultural treasures and returning them to their rightful owners were acts that restored civilized life, hope and humanity. Possessions may “only” be material, but the Nazis’ looting from their victims was yet another form of stripping away the dignity from their lives.