You Could Have Heard a Pin Drop

At a time when our confidence in the political process seems to be at a low ebb –– a time when our president and other politicians, apparently, feel they should apologize to the world for our country's past deeds, and abase themselves by literally bowing to foreign leaders, here's a short refresher course on how a few of our patriots handled negative criticism and insults to our country in former years.

JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 1960's when France’s President General Charles de Gaulle decided to pull out of NATO. De Gaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible. 

Rusk quietly asked him, "Does that include those who are buried here?" 

De Gaulle did not respond.

You could have heard a pin drop.

While attending a conference in England, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of  “empire building” by George Bush?

Powell answered saying, "Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return."

You could have heard a pin drop.

During a break at an international conference in France where engineers from all over the world were taking part, one of the French engineers came back into the room saying, "Have you heard about Bush’s latest stupid stunt? He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intend to do, bomb them?" 

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: "Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?"

You could have heard a pin drop.

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the navies of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia and France.  At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a group of officers that included personnel from most of those countries. Everyone was chatting politely in English as they sipped their drinks, but a French admiral made a sudden complaint saying, “Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. Why is it that we always speak English in these conferences instead of French?" 

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, "Maybe it's because the Brit's, Canadians, Aussie's and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't  have to speak German."

You could have heard a pin drop.

Robert Whiting, an 83 year old American, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry on. 

"You have been to France before, monsieur?" the customs officer asked sarcastically. 

Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously. 

"Well then, you should have known enough to have your passport ready." 

The American said, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it." 

"Impossible! Americans always have to show their passports on arrival in France!" the arrogant official replied.

Mr. Whiting gave the Frenchman a long probing look. Then he quietly explained, ''Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach in 1944 to help liberate your country, no Frenchman barred my way by asking me to show a passport." 

You could have heard a pin drop.