At the request of the prefecture of Calvados, October 31, 2004, marks the date that the commemorative monument The Brave must be removed from the sands of Omaha Beach at Saint Laurent.
We request that the statue be left where it stands in tribute to the 3,500 GIs who were wounded, went missing, and died for our FREEDOM on June 6, 1944.
Sign the petition
(Merci à K Engelhard)
Update: According to Watcher of Weasels, the (very) poor choice of a 1940s photo discussed in the comments section does in no way show what the monument is meant to honor.
Looks like a nazi soldier in the picture. Exactly which "brave" are we talking about?
ReplyDeleteAlso, though I find the initiative admirable, I can 't help but wondering: does the artist own the grounds where he built his sculpture? If not, well...
Well, kudos to the artist, but does the monument _have_ to be on the beach itself? I mean you could take a statement or tribute half a mile inland and it would still be a welcome thanks to the G.I.'s, right?
ReplyDeleteAgreed. As far as I'm concerned, the beach is a sanctuary and should stay so.
ReplyDeleteEr…
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to regret that I posted this item…
Sorry, guys.
ReplyDelete(I signed it too...)
According to this (http://6juin.omaha.free.fr/abanon/index.htm) the monument is indeed dedicated to...
ReplyDelete"Le titre de l'oeuvre, "Les braves", évoque le débarquement au travers du courage de ces hommes venus nous libérer en nous apportant liberté et espoir mais aussi des valeurs fortes comme la tolérance, la démocratie, l'indépendance, la fraternité entre les hommes et les peuples."
(So I used to be French and still remember the lingo).
So, I stand by my comment (#2 from the top). It's a monument, great. It doesn't have to be _on_ the beach. Plus, frankly, it's kind of ugly. I was still on the wrong side of the Atlantic when Jack Lang played with columns, cubes and pyramids. This one makes me _almost_ miss the guy.