Americans Prepare for Memorial Day Observance

 

Mike O'Sullivan

Monday is the Memorial Day, when Americans will honor those who served in the military and lost their lives in wartime. A Washington concert Sunday will include some Hollywood veterans, including one who survived D-Day.
It was 60 years ago, June 6, 1944, when Allied¹ troops landed in Normandy in Nazi-occupied France. The actor Charles Durning was one of the soldiers.
He said, "I was frightened all the time. And my sergeant² said, "You scared, son?" And I said, "yes, I am." He said, "That's good. It's good to be scared." He said, "We all are."
Thousands of allied troops were injured or killed in the landing.
Charles Durning recalls the fear that he and the others felt.
"I was frightened to death. I was the second man off my barge³ and the first and third man got killed," he said. "The first guy, the ramp⁴ went down and the guy fell. And I tried to leap over this guy and I stumbled. And then, we both slipped under the water. We were supposed to be able to walk, but they didn't bring us in far enough. And I was in 60 feet (18 meters) of water with a 60 pound (27 kilogram) pack on. So I let it all go. You'd go under the water and you'd see the bullets go down past you."
The invasion, although costly⁵, marked a turning point in the war, and would pave the way for an eventual⁶ Allied victory over the Nazis⁷.
The National Memorial Day Concert will be broadcast on public television from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. Actors Tom Hanks and Ossie Davis will participate. Mr. Davis, like Mr. Durning, is a World War II veteran.
The National Symphony Orchestra will perform, with guest artists including bluegrass musician Alison Kraus and Union Station with Jerry Douglas, country singer Brad Paisley and violinist Joshua Bell.
The actor Joe Mantegna will appear with Jason Ritter, the young actor who is his costar on the television drama "Joan of Arcadia." Mr. Mantegna will read the words of a U.S. veteran who lost his legs in Vietnam, and his co-star will read the words of a veteran of the Iraq War.
With U.S.-led troops facing insurgents⁸ in Iraq and a scandal over abuse of Iraqi prisoners, Mr. Mantegna says the concert will send a message.
"Even when things go wrong, like what we're going through now, regardless, we all have to endure it all together collectively," he said.
This is the 15th year of the concert broadcast, and Mr. Mantegna says his involvement has changed the way he views Memorial Day.
"For me, it gave purpose to Memorial Day. In other words, I think a lot of people think of Memorial Day weekend as, OK, let's go to Vegas, let's have a barbecue, isn't there a car race? And it's changed the focus to the reason we have Memorial Day,' Mr. Mantegna added.
Charles Durning received three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star medal for valor⁹ in World War II. He says that for those who survive fierce combat, the horror of war leaves a mark.
"I still wake up once in a while, screaming. It never leaves you, ever. It's there always," he said.
But he also recalls the heroism¹⁰ of many who died.
"I'd see people who were wounded or dying crawl up in front of us to the barricade¹¹ with the guy that's still alive and shooting and protecting him from getting hit, with their own bodies. I saw that, and they would just take the shot."
Joe Mantegna says that heroism will be remembered in this year's national concert from Washington.

注释：
Memorial Day （美国）阵亡将士纪念日，5月30日
D-Day 第二次世界大战始攻日，6月6日
Normandy [`nR:mEn5dI] n. 诺曼底（法国西北部一地区，北临英吉利海峡） sergeant [5sB:dVEnt] n. 警官，军士
barge [bB:dV] n. 游艇
leap over 跳过
stumble [5stQmbl] v. 绊倒
be supposed to应该
pack [pAk] n. 背包
costly [5kCstli] adj. 代价高的，损失惨重的
pave the way for 为……做好准备
bluegrass [5blu:7^rB:s] n. 蓝草音乐（起源于美国南方的民间音乐）
costar [kEu5stB:] n. 合演者，合演的明星
scandal [5skAndl] n. 丑行，丑闻
abuse [E5bju:z] n. 虐待，辱骂
collectively [kE5lektivli] adv. 共同地
barbecue [5bB:bIkju:] n. 烤烧，（吃烤烧食品的）野餐会
Purple Hearts 紫心勋章
Silver Star 银星勋章
valor [5vAlE] n. 英勇，勇猛
crawl up 爬上

1 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

2 sergeant   

n.警官，中士

参考例句：

• His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
• How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹？

3 barge   

n.平底载货船，驳船

参考例句：

• The barge was loaded up with coal.那艘驳船装上了煤。
• Carrying goods by train costs nearly three times more than carrying them by barge.通过铁路运货的成本比驳船运货成本高出近3倍。

4 ramp   

n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速

参考例句：

• That driver drove the car up the ramp.那司机将车开上了斜坡。
• The factory don't have that capacity to ramp up.这家工厂没有能力加速生产。

5 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

6 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

7 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 insurgents   

n.起义，暴动，造反( insurgent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The regular troops of Baden joined the insurgents. 巴登的正规军参加到起义军方面来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Against the Taliban and Iraqi insurgents, these problems are manageable. 要对付塔利班与伊拉克叛乱分子，这些问题还是可以把握住的。 来自互联网

9 valor   

n.勇气，英勇

参考例句：

• Fortitude is distinct from valor.坚韧不拔有别于勇猛。
• Frequently banality is the better parts of valor.老生常谈往往比大胆打破常规更为人称道。

10 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

11 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。