(A World War II veteran walks at the Red Square in Moscow, on May 9, 2012, after the Victory Day parade. Thousands of Russian soldiers marched today across Red Square to mark the 67 years since the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Photo Kirill Kudryavtsev/Agence/AFP/Getty Images)
I am messed up this morning. The antics of the alleged grown-ups continue apace, but I am going to do my best to avoid the whole political thing this week. Pandering to bases is not one of the things I want to dignify in this raw struggle for the future.
The celebrations had already happened in Moscow, where Marshall Zhukov road his white charger across the standards of the vanquished legions. Newly installed once-and-future President Vladimir Putin took the opportunity for some bombast to thousands of soldiers in Red Square.
Many pundits here have expressed concern that Mr. Putin is going to ramp up the rhetoric and boost military spending to put Russia back center stage in the world spotlight.
Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov said last week that Russia may consider a “pre-emptive strike” on the proposed missile defense system in Europe if the NATO project continues as planned. I think he ought to cool his jets a little bit. There will be plenty of flexibility on the rockets if the President is re-elected.
I have buried and hatchet, so to speak, and I did my best to honor Victory Day, Uncle Joe’s version of complete triumph over the Hitlerites. John-with-an-H insisted on calling it VE day, and that the anniversary was yesterday. I asked him to have a little respect for my Russian guests.
“My position is that while the Red Army might have mounted their Katusha rockets on Studebaker trucks, it was their soldiers who walked the long way to the Rhine against the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS.” I took a sip of happy Hour White and concluded: “we ought to remember the sacrifice. It meant a lot of American and British kids did not have to die.”
I had steeled myself to hobble around with the left leg bound tight in the brace and while I am paying for it this morning, it was worth it. I bought a couple beers for the Russians I know. Svetlana spent the afternoon at her doctor, eyes bathed in some sort of prophylactic, and she did not make it.
She is all American now, but like Lena-from-Vladivostok, was a young Komsomol and had the full experience of living in the USSR. I asked Maxim to come by too, since he is one of my subcontractors and has been wanting to get a meeting, and I figured it was two birds with one stone.
Maxim still carries himself with a little of the aura of a Post-Soviet man, his suits European-tailored and his accented words precise.
So, instead of three Russians, I had two. Maxim got out as soon as he could, once the Wall was down, though he still goes back to visit family. I noticed that he and Lena slipped back into Russian at the Willow bar, sitting between me and Old Jim.
I think there was a little resentment between them, Lena apparently viewing herself as one who stayed to mind the shop while those of weaker heart fled the wreckage of the Soviet system. I don’t know. I do know that I am grateful that nothing like what happened to the Russians has ever happened to us here in North America.
Even the carnage of the Civil War had nothing on what the beasts from Berlin did to them.
Of course, the Germans got back in spades what they dealt out over the 800 years of Teutonic advance to the east. Note to self: avoid living on vast sandy plains with no natural barriers. I like our oceans right where they are.
I dropped Lena at Macy’s where she could do some shopping- she was quite intent on that, and scored an iPod for her fifteen-year-old and was by no means done. I got back to Big Pink without incident, and wearily took off the leg brace once I was back in the unit and fairly confident I would not go down face-first on the floor.
Sleep was decent, the windows open and the sounds of the Arlington night were a comfort under the Eiderdown.
America is a pretty good place to live, wouldn’t you agree?
(Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attend the Victory Day parade to on the Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2012. Photo UPI.
Copyright 2012 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com