Atheist Veteran of D-Day Interview

Because today is the 70th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944.

And because I just know, somewhere on DU, somebody is mentioning D-Day and spouting the tired old line about "no atheists in foxholes."

Here's a story about a Christian who went to war and came back an atheist.

But first - for non-A/A people who may be lurking/spying, take a look at this photo. And please try to remember that this soldier died so all of us would have the freedom to believe in a religion, or not.

The photo shows an elderly French couple honoring a fallen soldier in a most beautiful and fitting way, IMO - by covering him with flowers. That happened a lot during D-Day. Wherever Allied soldiers died, the local civilians often draped flowers over them. The streets of some French villages looked like cheerful, suddenly-sprouted flower gardens...until a closer look showed what the flowers covered.



Thus endeth the Atheist Sermon for the day. Now the interview with that atheist vet...

Dover D-Day veteran on Normandy beach landings: 'It was s*** or bust'

TODAY marks the 70th anniversary of the Normandy beach landings, which swung the Second World War in the Allies’ favour. Reporter Jamie Rose visited 89-year-old D-Day veteran Fred Garrard at his River home, to hear his memories of one of the defining moments of modern history…

Such was the cruelty and devastation witnessed during his two years of service on the continent, Fred Garrard went to war as a Christian and came home an atheist.

The former Dover Harbour Board worker was just 18 when he landed on Gold Beach, on D-Day in June 1944. On reaching northern Germany several months later, Fred was one of the first to arrive at the now notorious Belsen concentration camp. “I lost all faith in God during the war. Men were treating animals with more respect than they were other human beings,” he said.

http://www.dover-express.co.uk/D-Day-veteran-Fred-Gerrard-recalls-landing/story-21199467-detail/story.html