It seems that these four days, November 8, 9, 10, 11 have struck a historically significant chord for me. November 8th will be remembered as the day of the improbable election of Donald J. Trump to the Presidency of the United States of America. He wasn't my choice, but he will soon be my President. For the sake of all the people on the planet, I wish him well and I will pray for him.
On November 9, 2014 I read in the morning paper about the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall. I was in the Army, stationed in Germany in ‘76/77, with a mission to protect the free world against further communist aggression. Our leaders told us that our mission was to detect, deter, and delay the Soviets, and if necessary, to die in place. I visited the Berlin Wall once. It must have been a wonderful sight to behold when citizens took sledge hammers to the wall.
Somewhere along life’s journey I learned about Kristallnacht, the night of broken glass, November 9/10, 1938. My mom had a sizeable library of books and VCR tapes of holocaust related material; you see, she concluded late in life that she was of Jewish origin and the subject matter was of particular interest to her. Through this exposure I learned about Kristallnacht, it was a night in Nazi Germany and Austria when Nazi paramilitary and civilians launched a campaign of coordinated attacks of mayhem and destruction against Jewish citizens. The attacks were against Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues consisting of vandalism, looting and physical assaults. Kristallnacht refers to the broken windows that night.
For whatever reason, certainly tainted by my military background, I always knew that November 10th is the birthday of the United States Marine Corps, and while I was not a marine, I have always been semper fi, or always faithful, not to the Corps, but to my country and of course to the Army and Army Reserve.
My first year in Germany soldiers told me about fasching, a season of celebration that started at 11:11 AM on November 11th that originated in medieval times. There were parties and parades throughout the region, and lots wine and beer. On Saturday evenings during the fasching season we went to fasching balls where I first learned of colorful wigs and beads, those that we Americans associate with Mardi Gras. Indeed, there were plenty of indiscretions, however, the women there did not “flash.” The season ended on Shroud Tuesday (Mardi Gras) before Ash Wednesday. On rose Monday, or Rosen Montag, the day preceding Mardi Gras there were parades and grand balls in many cities. It was a pleasurable experience. I reasoned that this mostly agricultural country, after a long spring, summer and fall of planting, tending and harvesting crops that the people were ready for some fun and they had to get the fun out of their system before the fasting of the Lenten season.
At 11:00 AM, on November 11, 1918 military hostilities ceased, bringing an end to the Great War, WW I, the war to end all wars. We have observed that event since then. In 1954 Congress amended the law that recognized Armistice Day and established November 11th as Veterans Day.
It’s good to celebrate Veterans Day, it’s also good to remember that Armistice Day was intended to celebrate the war to end all wars. It did not! Did the Germans decide to end hostilities on Nov 11th simply to begin the fasching festivities? It’s also good to remember that Kristallnacht is NOT something to celebrate, but it must be remembered nonetheless. Let there be peace on earth.
Happy Veterans Day!
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