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Dirk's avatar

Fascinating write-up! As a German, there isn’t much glory to be found on the beaches of Normandy or in any theater of WW2. But nonetheless it’s a history that profoundly shaped the lives of my family and the families of everyone I know. We own family portraits from our ancestors taken in the years prior to WW1 where 2/3 of the men pictured perished in senseless battles. My grandparents didn’t enjoy talking about this dark period, but my grandfather left an autobiography to us that describes the carnage in quite unsettling terms.

There is a very justified fear that with the disappearance of that generation of people who witnessed the bloodshed and destruction firsthand, as a society we are also losing the appreciation of our democratic institutions and a perspective of what the alternative invariably looks like.

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Ted Grycel's avatar

I 2nd Karen's comment, wow !!!! How else or what else can you say. Any other words would distract, but to see kids engaged as they are and you engaged with them, is why I do what I do and it's one of the biggest rewards in life, to see a young person look at something different than before you met them is inspiring !!!! So proud of you Adrian !!!!!

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Karen Botelho's avatar

Wow...just Wow!!! What an incredible experience for you and those kids! Thank you for sharing just a small bit of what seemed like an experience of a lifetime.

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Adrian Dater's avatar

Thanks Karen

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Gary T's avatar

You should think about retiring AD; do this kind of rewarding stuff for the rest of your life. I think it's good for your soul. I'm making a donation to Jay's foundation

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Adrian Dater's avatar

and thanks for your donation Gary. You’re a mensch

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Adrian Dater's avatar

I’m going to do one more year on the Avs. Then semi-retire and do more of this kind of thing

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Mark Petersen's avatar

You can really see from the pictures that everyone had a joyful and fulfilling experience. It will be impactful for years to come. Thank you for documenting and sharing!

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Randy's avatar

I loved reading this and got excited about the sites even though I've already been there five times myself. The Paris Metro is the worst I've seen in Europe for pickpockets. London is so much nicer.

Great post despite the lack of hockey, and I'm glad you got to visit a great part of the world!

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