Welcome
Last Plane Out of Saigon
  • About
    • The Book
    • The Authors
    • Trailer
    • Reviews
    • Media Reviews
  • Events
    • Upcoming
    • Photo Album
    • Book Launch
    • Request Speaking Engagement
  • For Educators
    • Lesson Plan
    • News
    • Amazon Free Give-Away >
      • Download Tips
    • Need Books for the Classroom?
    • Additional Materials
  • Blog
    • Read Posts
    • Read the Buzz
  • Contact US
    • Contact Info
    • Purchase

100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF WWI

11/10/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Today we give special thanks and recognition to our veterans as our country comes together in honor of the brave women and men who have served and protected us and continue to do so. We feel it is imperative, especially today, to remember that our veterans span all generations and all wars. We must continue in joining together and actively recognizing our veterans every day.

Earlier this month Kelly Frels, past President of the State Bar of Texas and close friend of Last Plane Out of Saigon author Richard Pena, shared with our team a significant article from The Buzz Magazines. This article highlights the trip Kelly Frels took to Europe to visit the places his father was at during WWI. As this Veteran’s Day is the 100th Anniversary of the end of WWI, we wanted to share Kelly Frels’ distinctive story.

What follows, are quotes from Kelly Frels with subsequent excerpts from The Buzz Magazines’ Travel Buzz article: “In Dad’s World War I footsteps” written by Journalist Tracy L. Barnett. The featured selections are used with permission from www.thebuzzmagazines.com. You can read the full story here: 
https://thebuzzmagazines.com/articles/2018/11/dads-world-war-i-footsteps.
November 11, 2018, will mark the 100th Anniversary of the end of WWI.  My father was a 22-year-old soldier in the United States Army whose 90th Division, under the command of General Pershing, was fighting the Germans in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive just Northwest of Verdun, France when the Armistice was signed at 11:00 A.M. on November 11, 1918.”
- Kelly Frels

“Attorney Kelly Frels grew up knowing his father had fought in World War I. When he and his wife Carmela saw a PBS special series last year on the war, they pulled out his father's "memory box."

“There . . . they found the diary he had kept of his service in the American Expeditionary Forces of the U.S. Army in Northern France in 1918 and 1919.”

“Inspired to learn more, Kelly and Carmela decided to extend a planned trip to Europe.”


“Their foray into the past opened their eyes to the bitter realities of that war, and the way it set the stage for the next one.”

“While the death toll of World War II was significantly higher, 10 million soldiers alone died in World War l.  The total deaths of 20 million at that time was staggering. The intensity of the trench warfare during World War I led to battles with astronomical casualty rates - among the highest in history.”

“The Frels’ full immersion in the story of the war plunged them into some of humanity's darkest hours, making their way into the trenches and battlefields, visiting the memorials and museums. Some towns had been obliterated - nine villages in the Meuse department alone - and, as a memorial to their loss, the French had decided not to rebuild there.”

“The Frels had traveled here [to these parts of Europe] before with a much lighter focus…This year, with the centennial of WWI, the area took on additional significance.”


We leave you with a final powerful quote from Kelly Frels regarding his father’s commentary on war:
His comments, when made, were more about the suffering of the civilians and the soldiers affected by the conflict. He felt that war was a terrible waste of people and a squandering of resources. He believed that world leaders should take extraordinary caution to avoid wars, because what started as another European war of seemingly limited scope became the first world war.”
- Kelly Frels
As a nation we do more for all of our veterans. Service women and men give up everything when they go and fight for us and when they return it is our duty to help them, to recognize their sacrifice and to show our respect for them. 

Thank you to all of our veterans.

To read Tracy L. Barnett’s full piece visit:
https://thebuzzmagazines.com/articles/2018/11/dads-world-war-i-footsteps
 
For more information on Houston Attorney Kelly Frels click here
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    July 2019
    May 2019
    November 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    May 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Home
The Book
The Authors
Purchase
Blog

Contact Us:
info@lastplaneoutofsaigon.com
Published By:
The Story Merchant
Picture
Endorsed By:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture