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- The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France. A total of 2289 of our military dead.
- The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium. A total of 5329 of our dead.
- The American Cemetery at Brittany, France. A total of 4410 of our military dead.
- Brookwood, England – American Cemetery. A total of 468 of our dead.
- Cambridge, England. 3812 of our military dead.
- Epinal, France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.
- Flanders Field, Belgium. A total of 368 of our military.
- Florence, Italy. A total of 4402 of our military dead.
- Henri-Chapelle, Belgium. A total of 7992 of our military dead.
- Lorraine, France. A total of 10,489 of our military dead.
- Luxembourg, Luxembourg. A total of 5076 of our military dead.
- Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead.
- Netherlands, Netherlands. A total of 8301 of our military dead.
- Normandy France. A total of 9387 of our military dead.
- Oise-Aisne, France. A total of 6012 of our military dead.
- Rhone, France. A total of 861 of our military dead.
- Sicily, Italy. A total of 7861 of our military dead.
- Somme, France. A total of 1844 of our military dead.
- St. Mihiel, France – A total of 4153 of our military dead.
- Suresnes, France, a total of 1541 of our military dead.
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.
Really? seriously, you think that America DESERVES to be Arrogant?
And my husband wonders why I was so anti-American when we met. I have softened my stance somewhat over the years, but I don’t see a whole lot of British people walking around with thier attitude on display like that, or any Canadians for that matter. I feel for the fact that so many Americans lost thier lives in defense of a country that ultimatly payed them back with ingratitude and disdain. But I can also understand why so many countries feel offended when the “Arrogant Americans” show up to “save the day. have you ever wondered whether maybe the attitude of the Americans might be the reason they are villified by the very people that they go to in the hopes of helping them? Yeah the US has money and guns and power, and that is great. But the fact that when they show up they expect total submission and people to bow down to them is a little bit much.
Get over yourself.
Love your neighborhood Canuck
Yeah– I think “arrogant” is totally the wrong word here. Arrogance is not a virtue, nor anything to be proud of. It has a very negative connotation and I can’t think of ANYONE, any country, etc that “deserves” to be arrogant. There may be people who deserve to be CALLED “arrogant”– but that isn’t a good thing. It’s a character FLAW.
I think a more appropriate word here, in regards to the CONTENT of the post, is “respected”.
For what it’s worth Kiar– I think there are very few Americans who have such an attitude– so the villification isn’t “deserved” either.
I’m with face.
True, villification was a bit of a strong word. I love Americans! (now, lol :wink:)
I wasn’t speaking about YOU kiar– rather those who you were speaking of who DO “villify” Americans as arrogant.
I think the point of the post is to counter all the crappola being spun by Obama. He is the one who called us arrogant all over the globe and apologized repeatedly for everything under the sun. My reading of the post is to say, “Oh, we’re arrogant. Well maybe that’s because we’ve sacrificed incredibly for those countries you’re apologizing to. We’re so sorry. We apologize for dying to save you.”
When I lived in England I was struck by a particular behavior. They had American music, American movies, American clothes (the Levi’s “painted on jeans” were my favorite). But they hated Americans. My biggest problem in the ward I lived in was that the young adult women hated me before they ever spoke to me. Just being American was enough.
The guys liked me. Maybe that was the problem.
I totally understand the point — Obama’s “Apology Tour” is obnoxious. However the very title of the post makes it sound like he’s RIGHT. Like we’re saying “Since we fought for you and saved you, that means we’re “better than” then rest of you litle good for nothing peons. You must now bow down and worship your new savior”. The title DEFEATS the point, if the point is to deride Obama’s claim that we’re arrogant. Arrogant MEANS “stuck-up and self-engrandizing”– thinking your bigger and better than you really are. So to say “America DESERVES to be arrogant” means you AGREE that we’re “stuck up, self-engrandizing inflated heads” and that we EARNED our over inflated ego. But how do you EARN or DESERVE something if it’s over- inflated and exaggerated?? If it’s “too much” than it’s MORE than what you “deserve or earn”, right?
Okay– here’s the Merriam Webster definition of arrogant:
“exaggerating or disposed to exaggerate one’s own worth or importance often by an overbearing manner”
So if Obama thinks we’re “arrogant” and is going around apologizing for us, and we don’t like it– it’s sort of stupid for someone who disagrees with him to say “but we DESERVE to be arrogant”.
Maybe I’m making too big a deal about the word choice– but since it only serves to make Obama sound like he’s RIGHT, it gets under my skin.
New girl…. foreign… and with gorgeous flaming red hair???? Oh yeah, you were disliked by all the female types before you even stepped off the plane.
Alison does have a point. When we were stationed in England 19880-1991, the first village we lived in was awful. They just hated Americans or outsiders for that matter. The village did house many London types and they did not allow for move-ins. The kids there harassed our kids so badly. We moved to another village 4 months later me moved to another village and the turnaround was unbelievable. The kids were treated well and the people were so friendly. I even worked for a couple there. Our neighbor facing our front door was from a town named Leicester and even Lauri & Lisa were shunned. However, our Ward was great!! However, lots of military familes. But the British saints were so nice too. We still have two dear friends from that Ward. Just talked to one the other day!
You know, one of my favorite authors (M.C. Beaton, who also writes under the name Marion Chesney and one other that I can’t remember) often mentions in her books how outsiders are distrusted. One of her series is set in the Cotswolds (Is that Scotland? not sure) and there is a regular mention of “incomers” being anyone who was not born and raised there. There are often villages with the reputation of scaring off all outsiders. I’m *sure* she exaggerates to make it more entertaining, but most jokes have their basis in truth. Even here in the US, in my experience, small towns can be much the same way. In some, you will be welcomed and treated as everyone’s new-best-friend and in others you are automatically distrusted as an outsider.
jennycherie, we had a similar experience when looking to buy a lot. We narrowed our choices down and visited two wards. One ward welcomed us with open arms and practically smothered us in hopes we’d move there. The other wasn’t unkind, per se, but they seemed not to even know we existed. I actually went to all three meetings and the only person who spoke to me was the woman who handed out RS programs by the door. In RS, at one point, we were divided into groups of FIVE to discuss a topic and even then not one of the other four women said a word to me or even acknowledge me presence.
The first ward mentioned is a newer neighborhood with a bit more upscale homes–very wide age range with grandparents, huge mutual, and good-sized Primary. The other is a more, multi-generational ward–with an older average population–where people, I was told, marry and build a house in the ward just to stay there because they love it so much.
It wasn’t offensive so much as it was just really odd. And you can guess which lot we bought.
I have an uncle who married an English girl, and in fact they spent the first several years of their marriage in England since her family was there. They later moved here because of the horrible time they had getting good healthcare under Englands “universal healthcare”– (but that’s another discussion… 🙂 Believe it or not, there’s still a portion of Englanders who think of Americans as “apostates”. They have a few differnet names they call us (like we call them The English, or Brits, etc) I know one was “Rebels”— because what WE’VE always called The American Revolution, THEY call The American Rebellion. They also calls us Yanks or Yankees.
You also have to remember that BEFORE America, England was THE power to be reckoned with. They owned– what— 60 percent of the world????
I’m just throwing that number out there, but without counting, it seems like England colonized and took over half the planet. Heck– it’s only been a couple years since they finally gave Hong Kong it’s independence. And all those lands answered to the Crown of England. They were the ones with the military might, the education, the star power, the “class”, and of course, the money. Then along came all those yeoman cultivating Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, etc, who decided to take up arms and deny the King his control. Once America “grew up” IT became “the” power. WE were the ones with the military might, the innovation, the money, etc. Of course, there have always been others– Germany, Japan, China, Russia, et al who’ve been coming in a close 2nd or 3rd– but England’s never really “recovered” any of it’s previous glory in the world. And there are those over there who blame that on us. They still have their Queen but we sort of “dethroned” them from the world throne. 🙂
If I remember correctly, Hong Kong didn’t want their independence. They wanted to stay under English rule to keep from being taken over by China.
Yes– I believe you’re right about that.
Cotswolds are west of London, The Bath area and Stonehedge!
Manifest Destiny
Yeah, America has been arrogant, but so has every other superpower the world has ever seen. Unrighteous dominion and all that.
Well, to be clear Ray, that’s not arrogance, that’s just Truth. America WAS ordained by God as a land of promise and the scriptures prophesy of it’s coming and of that people would come to it. It also prophesied of the destruction of the people who were here previously, because of the their wickedness and the false traditions of their fathers which they would perpetuate. BUT like all truth, it can be misused and mishandled. And many misused it as a justification for wicked behavior.
The Church has a “manifest destiny” as well. Believeing that the Church “will fill North and South America” and eventually “the world” isn’t arrogant. It’s Truth. Of course, if we forced baptisms under threat of death, then we’d have a little problem. 🙂
Manifest Destiny is like No Child Left Behind: Good idea; lousy implementation.