Naked Science Forum
On the Lighter Side => That CAN'T be true! => Topic started by: MDriver1981 on 16/06/2011 02:08:35
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Did anyone know that British Captain Lionel Queripel of the 10th Parachute Battalion was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his actions during the Battle of Arnhem?
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Most interesting history.
Is he related to you? Your city?
The Victoria Cross appears to be similar to the Congressional Medal of Honor, and unfortunately too often is awarded posthumously.
Many of the medals apparently were cast from captured armaments.
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If he was related to me I would have mentioned it.
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Unfortunately the memories of so many fallen war heroes get lost within a couple of generations, and many foreign heroes aren't taught in American schools and colleges. Perhaps it is different in Britain.
I'm not great with names, but I could only think of one Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. Sergeant Alvin C. York. And, that is only because of a publicity campaign after WWI, and later a movie was made about his actions.
There is a Wikipedia page about Captain Lionel Queripel, and it sounds like he was an extraordinary soldier and leader, eventually sacrificing himself to save his men.
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Sounds like a true Brit to me. [:)]
Just down the road from me is a war memorial to General Patton. It is a strange thing but Luxembourg was liberated in WWII by the allied forces. However, as far as the locals are concerned it was just the Americans who liberated them and there are countless American flags all over the North of the country to celebrate this fact.
Given that I am British I feel that it's a shame that the other nations who lost so many to ensure the freedom of this country are not recognised. All over the north of the country are American tanks and artillery from that time but you just don't see any evidence of the so called allied forces.
War is a terrible thing but sometimes the perception of history can be quite hurtful especially if you had family who gave their lives during these conflicts.