Some members
of the Veterans of Foreign
Wars and Disable American
Veterans clubs in Brainerd were there.
(l-r) Tim Brastrup, Mike Williams, and Dave Meyer.
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They handed out literature and answered questions for the
full-house crowd that night.
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No photography was allowed during the
play, but four of the twelve actors posted at attention for a photo afterword.
The play was stories from World War I and how the troops handled
difficulties.
They sang as they told their stories during the play. The time was
1914 in Europe. Troops were told they would be home for Christmas,
but the war extended until late in 1918.
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A question and answer session was held
for the audience. The unofficial truce was between the Allied
(French, British, American, along with 11 others) and the Central Powers
(German, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire) lines.
In all there were seven areas along the hundreds of miles of lines in
France where opposing troops quit killing and instead gathered to
celebrate Christmas in 1914. That was four years before the war
was over. Troops on opposite sides found they had a lot in common
with each other especially in the deplorable conditions of trench
warfare.
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Records show that 13.9 million people
were injured or died in the conflict, which became known as, "The Great
War and the war to end all wars."
It ended on the 11th hour of the 11th month in 1918. That November
11th date is now known as Veterans Day in the United States. |
There is a lot to be learned from history. Mark
