Edith Shain from famous VJ Day photo dies

At the end of WWII on VJ Day 1945 a war that had lasted for 6 years for Europe and almost 4 years for America, everyone celebrated.  Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the famous photo of a US Sailor kissing a nurse in front of New York’s Times Square, little did he know that would become the most famous photo from WWII.

Edith Shain who claimed for years to be the nurse in the famous photo dies at the age of 91 and will forever go down in history as the nurse in the VJ day photo. She and Carl Muscarello said that people were all kissing and that they never imagined having their photo on Life Magazine. (See here at this article at Telegraph.) However more than one man has openly claimed to be the man who kissed the beautiful nurse at Times Square at the end of WWII, will we ever truly know who it was, probably not. I do lean towards it being Carl Muscarello who kissed young Edith Shain. Edith and Carl reunited years later to share a similar kiss that had caused such mystery.

Edith Shain and whoever the mystery man may be, will forever live in my memory as the most romantic photo I have ever seen.

Rosie the Reviewer {Young Victoria}

5****

Synopsis:

Resolved to establish her authority over those who rule in her stead, a young and inexperienced Queen Victoria draws strength from the love of Albert, the handsome prince who’s stolen her heart. Based on the courtship and early reign of England’s longest-serving monarch, The Young Victoria is a majestic tale of romance, intrigue and power.

My Thoughts:

I was completely blown away with this film. And besides a few historical inaccuracies, I just adore how wonderful Victoria and Albert were portrayed. Victoria a head strong determined young woman ready to make her mark on the world and Albert a wonderful sacrificial man willingly taking the back seat so his love could shine. It shows how Victoria and Albert’s love grows from friendship to a forever love. A very sweet and endearing film. One of the things I liked most is that although there was some sensuality between the couple, it was after the two had married. One of my favorite films made in the past year. I highly recommend you watch this.

Comparison:

Queen Victoria

(Left: the real Queen Victoria at a young age. Right: Emily Blunt as Queen Victoria)

Prince Albert

(Left: the real Prince Albert. Right: Rupert Friend as Prince Albert in the film.)

Never Saying "Dad"

Saturday night I was watching The Parent Trap and when Annie (the English twin) switched placed with Hallie (American twin) to finally meet her dad there is a quote that really touched me…

(Here’s a clip from the movie since I can’t find the quote, sorry that it's not just about Annie and her dad, it was hard to find this.)

I began to tear up when I tried to put myself in Miss Annie James’ shoes. Never saying dad?!?!?! I am so lucky that I have never been in that position. My dad has always been there for me. Always loving me even when I didn’t deserve it; always holding me when I needed a shoulder to cry on; and the best thing he could have ever done for me was introduce me to my Heavenly Father. Thank God I have been able to say “Dad”.

I love you dad!!!!!

Newsweek goes...Airborne

My dad got this in an email of the 17th Airborne jumping into Germany in Operation Varsity a part of "Rhineland" or the crossing of the Rhine. Some of you know that my grampa, 1st Sgt. Harold F. Asay, was apart of the 17th Airborne div. and he participated in Operation Varsity, though he was not with the Parachute Infantry Regiment that you see in the Newsweek photo. He was apart of a Glider Infantry Regiment and that was the most dangerous unit in WWII. Nothing can top the danger that the Gilder Riders went through, picture yourself intentionally crash landing behind enemy lines and IF, and that's a BIG IF, you survived that and were able to get out, MAYBE you could be able to fight if you weren't wounded in the landing. I'm so proud of the men and women of WWII, but I will always be amazed at the guts of the men like my grampa who chose to join the dangerous unit of the US Airborne.


(You will have to click to enlarge the photo and see what is written in the red box)

During my edgy break

I'll be honest, the book I am writing now is not edgy in the slightest. It's a sweet story that I would like to tell and like to get it published. I began it when I needed a break from the darkness and evil of Nazi Germany and this plot came to mind. The book was exactly what I needed. And although I do not want all my books to be like this, I believe it's still different that what's out there in the Christian market.

I don't care what anyone says writing books that deal with the evilness of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, but they are so unbelievably emotionally draining. Sometimes through my process of reading and researching about the ideology I get really...freaked out! The more I delve into the Nazi realm of horrors it can really become disturbing and I've been researching WWII/Nazi Germany/The Holocaust all for around 12 years ever since I was nine. Which is too young for anyone to read the things I read at that age. Though it's not too young to be introduced to it.

With it being so draining to write such fiction won't stop me from continuing to write what God has called me to write. I don't shy away from subjects be it: abortion, physical abuse, sexual abuse, narcotics, alcohol abuse, addictions of all kinds, other religions, murder, war/combat, killing, adultery/promiscuity, homosexuality, social services, etc...

About the only I do not write is sci-fi/fantasy, though I do love to watch them and read the occasional book if it's edgy and not ridiculous like some are.

So although my current novel I am working on is not edgy, I am capable of writing some VERY edgy things. You wouldn't believe what I have up my sleeve for the Christian market. I don't belong to a specific genre, unless it's an edgy genre. I like to be my own individual and not blend in with the crowd. My mom is always telling me "you're work is bold" well, then that's what you can expect from me when I'm done with my break.

Picture this....June 1944

Picture this, it's late at night, you're listening to your wireless to the music, fanning yourself from the humidity of the June weather. You drift to sleep after Roosevelt ended his "Fireside Chat" it's a peaceful evening, you received a letter  from your son that morning, he's in England, apart of the US Airborne, preparing to go to war at any given moment. The war is so far away, but always close to your heart. Never could you imagine that early in the morning only half past 1 AM he was jumping into France.

A little past midnight on June 6th, his mother was awakened by an alarming announcement...her son along with many other young men invaded France.

~

From 1:45 and on, her son was busy trying to cover ground in enemy territory along with his fellow soldiers. It was midnight in France that fateful day the fighting had calmed and a young soldier from her son's platoon was finally able to rest. He sat down in the lush grass and took his time searching through a fallen soldier's bag. He had seen the soldier die and it tore him up to search through his belongings.

He and many others from his platoon was trapped under German Artillery shelling and knew what their fate would be. The fallen soldier also knew that his platoon was trapped, he decided to make a decoy so his platoon could escape. He jumped out of the fox hole and ran away allowing the men to get up and out of harms way. The soldier saw his comrade shot down from a distance and thanked God for his friends total sacrifice.

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13 (KJV)

~

A week later, the mother got another letter from her son, dated June 5th 1944, most of it was censored for security reasons. Later on that afternoon, a Western Union man came to her door with a letter from the War Department. Her son was killed in action June 6th 1944, saving his fellow soldiers.

After the war, the soldier who saw his friend die, came to visit the woman. He gave her, her son's belongings including his Bible. The young soldier told her, he would never have been able to have a relationship with God if it hadn't been for her son and he would have died without accepting Christ if her son hadn't died in his place on D-Day.

(This is not a true story, it is a short story I came up with in honor of those who participated in Operation Overlord)

The ebook Craze

It seems to me that everyone now is going electronic, even with their books. There is this new gadget "Kindle" and even "Nook" I believe that are things you can use to read a book, or actually an ebook.

Now I am a fan of technology even if I don't always understand it, okay most of the time I do NOT understand it. And I must say there are some new books, one by Michelle Sutton "Never Without Hope" that I would really like to read and even do a review on. However it is an ebook.

I'm not against the Kindle ebook stuff, but I guess I'm too much of a purist to break down and by one of those things. I've always preferred to cuddle up with a cup of coffee and an afghan and just sit and read to my heart's content. I love reading, I may not always be the fastest reader, but I do love books. I feel like there is something lost when a book is published electronically.

Growing up it was almost magical to loose yourself in a book, as I have done many many times. But now...I could never see loosing myself in a kindle. I hate reading research over the net, I have always preferred to get it out of a book. There is just something about books, to actually hold the book and flip the pages as you read them, that just makes it so perfect in a sense. I do see some of the highlights of the ebooks, you can fit as many as you can on them and choose whichever book you want to read on a vacation without having to pick and choose which will stay home. It's light and portable, all good...and I think getting published through an ebook company is just as wonderful as getting published at any other company. You're getting your work out there and if you reach someone, that's all the matters.

I think it will take a lot more to eve make me into a convert of the ebooks. Until then I will enjoy browsing the bookstores and cherishing my paper books.

Tag-Along Tuesday

Yello all, I'm joining in on the Tag-Along Tuesdays. Comment below with your name and link to your site so that  others can follow you.

Thanks,
Lizzie