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A U.S. Representative from Florida is proposing a bill to dig up the American soldiers buried in France and Belgium and ship them back here.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...303mar13.story
Is there something in the water coolers over at the Capitol?
WASHINGTON -- First it was french fries and french toast. Now the bones of U.S. servicemen are being dragged into the conflict between France and the United States over war in Iraq.
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, plans to introduce a bill today proposing that the families of the thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen buried in France and Belgium be allowed to dig up their remains and have them shipped home.
"The remains of our brave servicemen should be buried in patriotic soil, not in a country that has turned its back on the United States and on the memory of Americans who fought and died there," Brown-Waite said.
"It's almost as if the French have forgotten what those thousands of white crosses at Normandy represent," she said.
About 75,000 U.S. servicemen and women from both world wars are buried in military cemeteries in France and Belgium, most of the graves marked by simple white crosses.
Mack McConn, 78, of Orlando, who survived the D-Day landings at Normandy, during which more than 10,000 Americans were killed, was outraged at the suggestion of moving the bodies.
"That is ridiculous," the Navy veteran said. "I can tell you right now that I don't approve of it at all. We've had problems with the French before, but it's like a spat; you get over it. It would be ridiculous to open those graves."
Since France began campaigning against a U.N. Security Council resolution that could lead to war with Iraq, there have been calls for boycotting anything French, from wines to perfumes.
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives jumped on the bandwagon, striking the word"french" from House menus and replacing it with the word "freedom," as in freedom fries and freedom toast.
At the French Embassy, deputy press counselor Agnes Vondermuhll reacted Wednesday to the french-fry flap with amusement andsangfroid.But she drew the line at disinterring bodies, calling Brown-Waite's proposal "astonishing."
Vondermuhll assured Americans that "France has not forgotten the American contribution to our freedom and our democracy. We have a common goal: disarmament of Iraq. We simply have a difference of opinion on the timetable. It's not a war between France and America. We should be rational."
Brown-Waite, a member of the House Veterans Committee whose district includes part of south Lake County, said she got the idea for the bill from Hernando County resident Ken Graham, whose father is buried in France.
"Turkey no doubt will be next," said Norm Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. "When will you have a member of Congress wanting to cancel Thanksgiving?"
Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida, said the bill is more symbolic than realistic for the Central Florida congresswoman.
"As a freshman legislator, it's certainly a way to make a splash," he said. "It will probably be a fairly popular move publicly. French-bashing is all the rage right now."
But McConn, who served 23 years in the Navy and has visited the seaside Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach in Colleville-sur-Mer, shuddered at the thought of disturbing the peace of the long-dead servicemen.
"It's a beautiful place," he said, "and I can't think of a better place for those men to be than right there."
Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, plans to introduce a bill today proposing that the families of the thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen buried in France and Belgium be allowed to dig up their remains and have them shipped home.
"The remains of our brave servicemen should be buried in patriotic soil, not in a country that has turned its back on the United States and on the memory of Americans who fought and died there," Brown-Waite said.
"It's almost as if the French have forgotten what those thousands of white crosses at Normandy represent," she said.
About 75,000 U.S. servicemen and women from both world wars are buried in military cemeteries in France and Belgium, most of the graves marked by simple white crosses.
Mack McConn, 78, of Orlando, who survived the D-Day landings at Normandy, during which more than 10,000 Americans were killed, was outraged at the suggestion of moving the bodies.
"That is ridiculous," the Navy veteran said. "I can tell you right now that I don't approve of it at all. We've had problems with the French before, but it's like a spat; you get over it. It would be ridiculous to open those graves."
Since France began campaigning against a U.N. Security Council resolution that could lead to war with Iraq, there have been calls for boycotting anything French, from wines to perfumes.
On Tuesday, the U.S. House of Representatives jumped on the bandwagon, striking the word"french" from House menus and replacing it with the word "freedom," as in freedom fries and freedom toast.
At the French Embassy, deputy press counselor Agnes Vondermuhll reacted Wednesday to the french-fry flap with amusement andsangfroid.But she drew the line at disinterring bodies, calling Brown-Waite's proposal "astonishing."
Vondermuhll assured Americans that "France has not forgotten the American contribution to our freedom and our democracy. We have a common goal: disarmament of Iraq. We simply have a difference of opinion on the timetable. It's not a war between France and America. We should be rational."
Brown-Waite, a member of the House Veterans Committee whose district includes part of south Lake County, said she got the idea for the bill from Hernando County resident Ken Graham, whose father is buried in France.
"Turkey no doubt will be next," said Norm Ornstein, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. "When will you have a member of Congress wanting to cancel Thanksgiving?"
Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida, said the bill is more symbolic than realistic for the Central Florida congresswoman.
"As a freshman legislator, it's certainly a way to make a splash," he said. "It will probably be a fairly popular move publicly. French-bashing is all the rage right now."
But McConn, who served 23 years in the Navy and has visited the seaside Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach in Colleville-sur-Mer, shuddered at the thought of disturbing the peace of the long-dead servicemen.
"It's a beautiful place," he said, "and I can't think of a better place for those men to be than right there."
Is there something in the water coolers over at the Capitol?
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