Huh.

[sleigh]

 Yesterday, there was a ceremony at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, fifty miles outside Paris, where over 2,200 American soldiers from WWI are buried. Most of those buried there are casualties from what would be known as the Battle of Belleau Wood, fought largely by U.S. Marine brigades. Here’s a passage quoted from Wikipedia’s entry on that battle.

 

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“United States forces suffered 9,777 casualties, included 1,811 killed. Many are buried in the nearby Aisne-Marne American Cemetery. There is no clear information on the number of German soldiers killed, although 1,600 were taken prisoner.

 

“After the battle, the French renamed the wood "Bois de la Brigade de Marine" ("Wood of the Marine Brigade") in honor of the Marines' tenacity. The French government also later awarded the 4th Brigade the Croix de guerre. An official German report classified the Marines as "vigorous, self-confident, and remarkable marksmen ..."  General Pershing—commander of the AEF—said, "The deadliest weapon in the world is a United States Marine and his rifle." Pershing also said "the Battle of Belleau Wood was for the U.S. the biggest battle since Appomattox and the most considerable engagement American troops had ever had with a foreign enemy."

 

“Legend and lore has it that the Germans used the term "Teufelshunde" ("devil dogs") for the Marines. However, this has not been confirmed, as the term was not commonly known in contemporary German. The closest common German term would be "Höllenhunde" which means "hellhound".

 

“Regardless of the term's origin, ten years after the battle, Lieutenant Colonel Ernst Otto, from the Historical Section of the German Army, wrote of the Marine Corps; "Their fiery advance and great tenacity were well recognized by their opponents."

 

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President Donald Trump was supposed to attend that ceremony. He didn’t because it was raining. He couldn’t go fifty miles to honor American soldiers who gave their lives in fierce battle because it was raining. The man who has said in a tweet on March 13, 2018 “We support you, we thank you, we love you - and we will always have your back!” couldn’t go fifty miles to honor the dead because it was raining.

 

Huh.