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jrtk
Talker
Joined: Apr 30, 2003
Posts: 96
Location: New York, NY
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 Posted:
May 18, 2004 - 10:53 PM |
 
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| Post subject: A Tiny Corner of Italy That Hasn't Forgotten America |
May 18, 2004
NETTUNO JOURNAL
A Tiny Corner of Italy That Hasn't Forgotten America
By ALAN FEUER
ETTUNO, Italy - There is a piece of land along the coast an hour south of Rome that is a shrine to America. It is a lovely piece of land, well designed and well maintained, that spreads out over nearly 80 acres. It is big enough so that the men who do such things need seven days to cut its grass.
It is the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial. Buried here are 7,862 Americans who died in combat in this country during World War II. Each lies buried with a marble headstone that is cleaned twice a year, by hand, with pumice stone and soap. There is a man who trims the hedges every morning. Another roams the grounds to look for weeds.
Angelo Perna is the chief gardener. He is deeply tanned, with a face that is the color of a football. His hands are dark and rough, and he is missing an incisor from his bottom row of teeth.
Mr. Perna, 51, is not that interested in politics. But when you tend the graves of dead Americans, politics will sometimes intervene.
He has watched the buses pull up to the gates, and the tourists in their sunhats wander out to walk among the marble rows or lay a flower by a grave. "The people in these graves sacrificed their lives to give Italians liberty," he said. "There's a lot of talk about the war now, but maybe they are looking to the past."
Italy, like most of Europe, has been outraged by the images of Iraqi men in hoods and handcuffs, strapped to electrical devices or chained to bars in front of dogs. Some in the opposition here have called on Rome to cancel President Bush's visit to Italy in June. The other day, a cartoon on the front page of the country's leading paper showed the Statue of Liberty burning the feet of an Arab with her torch.
An Italian soldier died in combat this spring, yet the country has maintained its deep devotion to America, a warm regard that has not cooled in the chilly winds of war. The country has about 3,000 soldiers in Iraq and the government has promised they will stay.
"There is a general sentiment that the United States has made a terrible error managing the war," said Renato Mannheimer, a professor of political science at the University of Milan. "But there is - and there has always been - a favorable attitude toward the U.S. as a whole."
No sane man likes war, but war is never sane. "It would have been better if there hadn't been a war," said Mr. Perna, "but you can't do anything about it now. If someone attacks you, you have to react."
The cemetery gets about 200,000 visitors a year, mostly non-Americans. The Italians are the steadiest contingent and their visits have not stopped, even since the war.
"The Italians always come," said Joseph Bevilacqua, the cemetery's baseball-capped superintendent. "What we're getting lots more of now are the former Eastern Bloc people - Czechs, Poles, Kosovars and such."
This spring, an Italian judge exonerated three Egyptians who had been on trial for a plot to desecrate the cemetery. Mr. Bevilacqua said that sort of thing was pretty rare.
He also said the locals by and large liked the cemetery. "We're probably the biggest employer in Nettuno. You don't spit on the plate you use to eat."
Mr. Perna has been working here since 1986, when he moved north from the town of Avellino after finishing his gardening degree. His paycheck comes from the American Embassy. He has never been to America, although he said he wants to go.
"Newahmpshur," he said in a thick Italian accent. "Maz-ah-chu-zetz." He learned these names from reading the graves.
In the last two decades, he has seen two American presidents, Bill Clinton and the first George Bush.
It seems that Mr. Perna's staff is always doing something, whether trimming trees, washing windows, raking leaves or messing with their trucks. The place is immaculate: green fields, brown limbs, white crosses. An elliptical reflecting pool stands down a gravel pathway from a large memorial with maps and charts of the Italian campaign.
Outside the memorial, a man was scraping at the metal trim, which he said he eventually means to bronze. "We started this morning," he said and sighed. "It will take two days."
Outside the office is a logbook in which visitors have praised the cemetery's beauty and the sacrifice for which it stands. It is only natural that visitors to such a place would say good things about America. Things like: "Thank you." "Thanks to the American people." "Thanks."
Back among the graves, Mr. Perna was spraying weed-killer on the grass behind the stone of Private Anthony De Cillis, 157th Infantry, 45th Division, killed on May 27, 1944. Down the aisle were other men and boys from Oklahoma, Florida, Michigan, Ohio. Mr. Perna stopped and said: "They have been buried here so long, they are Italians now." |
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Andreas
Board Royalty
Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 6411
Location: 31 N 121 E
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May 18, 2004 - 11:13 PM |
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Great post ! Despite the fact that America is not in the news in a very positive way lately, let's not forget what they have done for Europe and Asia in WW2. Sh1t happens in every country, but in the US and Europe it usually comes out, because the freedom of the press is still bigger than anywhere else. Governments have their flaws, and in general I never liked governments. The government of the US is going through a lot of trouble now, which they called upon themselves, for whatever reason. But governments are not the people of a country. This is something we should never forget. And it were young people who sacrificed their lives to defeat the Nazis in Europe and the Japanese in Asia. |
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If it has tits, tires, or a transom, there's gonna be issues! |
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jrtk
Talker
Joined: Apr 30, 2003
Posts: 96
Location: New York, NY
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May 18, 2004 - 11:41 PM |
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Our grandparents will share with us that Dec. 7, 1941 -- the day Pearl Harbor was bombed -- was a terrible day but it served to give people of their time a purpose and ultimately brought about a stronger and more determined America. Sept. 11, 2001, a day none of us will ever forget, serves a similar purpose. For on that day we were no longer Republicans or Democrats, black or white, rich or poor, New Yorkers or Californians -- we were Americans. We do honor to all those who died through a renaissance of our culture, a culture predicated upon hard work, generosity, ingenuity, spirituality and optimism. And we, as a generation, look toward a lifelong mission and brave acceptance of our place and responsibility in the human story. |
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Kiwi
Post Boaster
Joined: May 07, 2003
Posts: 4763
Status: Offline
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May 19, 2004 - 12:42 AM |
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No offense to the U.S. and its role in WWII. It was great that the US was there to fight the Japanese after the British left Asia and Australasia undefended. The US involvement in the European war was also crucial (though lets not forget the Russians).
However, I detest the comparison of Pearl Harbour with September 11.
The comparison does not stand up. The former was a military attack by the armed forces of one country upon the armed forces of another. The latter was a terrorist attack carried out by a small bunch of extremists.
The former led to the US into a war as a matter of necessity. The latter saw the US begin two wars as a matter of choice.
They seem to be very different events to me.
And in some senses comparing the two does a disservice to those who fought in WWII. On many levels, WWII was a clear struggle between good and evil. The 'war against terror' seems a different beast entirely.
The key problem is that the terrorists are so few, and the collateral damage is so vast, that the 'good' side are comming out with more blood on their hands than the 'evil' side. Ironic isn't it? |
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Andreas
Board Royalty
Joined: Feb 27, 2004
Posts: 6411
Location: 31 N 121 E
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May 19, 2004 - 01:02 AM |
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"They seem to be very different events to me. "
True, but they have one thing in common. For everybody who had his eyes open they could not have come as a surprise. They had to happen in a way. Not a question of 'if' but more of 'when'. |
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If it has tits, tires, or a transom, there's gonna be issues! |
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GC
The Ginger Prince
Joined: Dec 01, 2003
Posts: 21536
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May 19, 2004 - 08:04 AM |
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Nice article. Sometimes the good that a country achieved in the past can be lost, particularly when the current President and Defence Secretary seem so hell bent on destroying it.
For reference:
There are over 23000 Commonwealth War Cemetries throughout the world, in places ranging from Turkey to Holland. Next time you are in Hong Kong you can visit the cemetry there; contains around 400 British, 20 Canadians, 5 Indians and 160 Hong Kong. |
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You turned on the lights, Fuelled U boats by night, That's how you repay us, It's time to go home. |
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