The Scars of War

Monument to Fallen French, Brest.

I mentioned in previous posts about how so much of Brittany is of post war construction.  Both the Nazi occupation and Allied liberation took its toll on the people and their cities.  Up until September 11, 2001, the United States and her civilian population (with the exception of its Territories [Hawaii, Midway, the Solomons etc.]) were spared such ravages.

Monument to U.S. Naval Efforts in WWI, Brest.

Unfortunately the People of France were not so lucky.  The Great Wars, particularly World War II with its occupation and subsequent liberation, have left scars everywhere.  Quite literally there are buildings still standing in Paris that have been damaged by shrapnel in the conflicts.  I find these most rudimentary of memorials most thought provoking.

Monument to Those Lost in the the Resistance, Montpellier.

There are also memorials throughout Paris and indeed every French town and village.  Usually they list the names of those who died in the conflicts.  It’s a pretty common occurrence to see those listed names on the walls in the side chapels of churches.  Name after name, person after person lost to the insanity of war and violence.

Bi-lingual Monument Commemorating the Bravery of Two U.S. Air Corps Members, Arles.

Behind Notre Dame – so almost in the center of Paris (the center of France as the French Calculate their distances from the Isle de Paris) – is the moving Memorial of the Deportation.  It lists those who were taken from Paris to the Nazi prison camps.  It is designed as a reminder that each person is a ray of light for the world.  Unfortunately that is not always recognized or appreciated.

L'Arc de Triomphe, Paris.

The memorials I find most moving, however, are the little plaques scattered around Paris (mostly on building walls) marking the place where this or that person died, was captured, deported or was last seen.  I find them moving because they usually say a bit about the person but also because it reminds me of the horrors of war:  “In my city,” “On my block,” “Outside my building.”

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Paris.

Thankfully, those of us in the States have been spared the horrors of war.  There are the listings of the lives lost of those who went overseas but it did not affect the civilian population as it did in Europe.

Memorial of the Deportation, Paris.

Sadly we have other markers and memorials:  the wounded soldiers in our midst.  The men and women of the armed forces who return home from current theaters of violence will be a living tribute to their valor but also the price and ravages of warfare.

U.S. Marine watches as his 2 youngest children dance in the fountain, Montpellier.

While in Montpelier last month I was privileged to meet a Marine and his family on vacation.  It was a quick “hello” as we were trying to figure out which park was having the fireworks.   Seeing him with his young family it filled me with both hope and dread.  Hope for the promise of the future and dread for the price he’d paid in service to Our Country – You and Me.

A Teenager's Death Marker from WWII.

The scars of war are everywhere.  We just need eyes to see.