More to learn than John Wayne could teach

WORLD War 2 almost erupted again but for the wisdom of keeping silent!

I had been feeling quite chuffed with myself about calming passionate political hearts and allowing nature to take its timely course of cures. World War 2 was never mentioned again almost anywhere or anytime on the beach. The world lived in harmony and I continued beholding my own ignorant bliss of knowing John Wayne and the American marines had really won it all. Well, but for the timely interjection of another well spoken Englishman who told me it wasn’t quite so. “In fact my dear boy, I thought you were better educated than that” double slap in the face and hammer blow to my head—put down.

I then decided to educate myself more than Hollywood films and find out what truly happened.

That was a three year course which became a fascinating learning experience. Almost every household in the world had at least one book about the war that I could borrow. The major documentaries I had to buy in Charing Cross Road or Foyles. I amassed a huge library on the subject and became so acquainted that when I did speak to newcomers concerning the war, I could tell them their troop movements, victories and problems along the way. I became more than just a bar room expert but actually acquired some knowledge on the topic, which naturally made me feel even more of a fool when I learned how the English had suffered, rationed and gone without to stop Hitler’s blitzkrieg.

Battles led to further studies of the generals and circumstances wherein victory most often hung on a twist of circumstance. Then, late one night while lying next to my purring wife I read a passage in John Toland’s book about Hitler that mentioned Hitler could be nice to Jews if they would support his Aryan virtues.

For instance the Ball brothers who captained and played on the gold medal championship hockey team in the winter Olympics were Jews! And one was none other than my tennis buddy Gerry who had helped me put the lid on the entire WW 2 affair. That dumbfounded me. As I read the passage over and over I decided I simply must wake my wife and instruct her regarding my newly acquired information. To date, there had never been a time that I ever awoke my wife from a sound sleep. Not knowing quite how, I rocked her gently and continued whispering that I had read something quite important. After she conjugated the matter it became a near death experience for me. I guess I had forgotten to tell her (as it wasn’t a thing of any importance) but that Sidney and Millie, the German’s English friends were Jewish also. I am sure it would have been upsetting to each other for the four of them to learn how familiar and far apart they actually were.

Silence can be wisdom too. I was finally learning—mucho.