"NAME TREES" FELLED BY FRENCH; GI MEMORIES TURNED TO PULP

Soon after I got up this morning, I found myself reading a story about trees in France. It didn't take long to get good and pissed off at the French again. But, on second thought, I'm not too sure I should be pissed at them.

Stories like this one are a sign of the times, both overseas and in Washington, that something is changing and there's not a goddamn thing you can do about it.

It makes me sick.

"The names “Thomas and Dorothy” were carved in the bark of one trunk. Another said “Bob and Carma”. Other trees were marked with soldiers’ home states - Iowa, Maine or Alabama - and several bore hearts and the names or initials of a wife or girlfriend.

The beech trees of Saint Pierre de Varengeville-Duclair forest bore a poignant testimony to the D-Day landings for more than six decades. Thousands of American soldiers stationed there after the liberation of Normandy spent their spare hours with a knife or bayonet creating a lasting reminder of their presence.

Although the trees grew and the graffiti swelled and twisted, this most peculiar memory of one of the 20th century’s defining moments remained visible - until now. Amid bureaucratic indifference and a dispute between officials and the forest owner, most of the trees have been felled, chopped up and turned into paper." --when you read the article, you'll see the "cigarette camps" mentioned. Learn more about them at the link below.

The "cigarette camps".

Transcription of above photo.