Armistice Day and Patriotism
William Hurst Today marks 100 years since Armistice Day, the end of World War One. Two of my grandparents were just infants on that day. I'm sure that their parents, like the rest of the world, breathed a sigh of relief. The "war to end all wars" had ended and their older sons wouldn't be shipped off to a foreign land to fight now. Little did they know that just over 20 years later, both of those infants would be fighting against Germany and a new cast of enemies driven by nationalism, racism and fascism. My Grandpa Bill was sent to the Aleutian Islands and ended up getting injured clearing airstrips, which eventually led to him meeting my grandmother. She was in the Army Nurses Corps and worked at Putnam County Hospital when she returned home, where my grandpa was getting therapy. She actually served in "hot spots" during the war: Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Italy, and North Africa. I remember my grandma Helen sharing stories from her time in th