THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME, VERA

This post will appear in the next issue of a local senior paper that I write for. It will be most interesting to see what comments come from readers or from any younger ones who might stumble across it here.
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I don't know what generation I came from. If what Tom Brokaw calls "The Greatest Generation" includes those who grew up in the '30s and '40s, I'm in.  If it refers to WWII veterans and their contemporaries, I didn't quite make it.  I was 15 when the war ended.  By the time I was draft age the Korean War was going on, but I was classsified 4-F.  They didn't want me. If you were 1-A you would soon be in uniform. 

Even though I didn't serve in WWII, I still remember the songs that played a big part in getting us through it here and in England. "He's 1-A in the army and he's A-1 in my heart" is not one of the more memorable songs from that time, but there are a few great ones that are still sung, warming the hearts of us who remember.

There is one performer from that time  who is still with us. She became the sweetheart of the troops with "We'll meet again."


If you want to see an old man cry, just hang around when I'm watching computer videos of 92 year old Dame Vera Lynn  talking about those days and her continuing dedication to the armed forces. She sings that song with her young friend, New Zealand's Haley Westenra. Not as well known as she should be here, Haley is adored by her fans. Her friendship with Dame Vera is something quite rare and wonderful.

You don't need to be an old Brit to be moved  by "We'll meet again" or "When the lights go on again all over the world."   "There'll be Bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover" can pack an emotional  punch even if you've never seen those cliffs and you don't know where they are. You might even feel a bit of a tug at the old heartstrings from "There'll always be an England and England will be free." There is something grand about Dame Vera  singing those songs.

To find the videos, just enter "Vera Lynn Haley Westenra" in your search engine. If you don't have a computer, ask a friend or relative to bring a laptop for you. If you can watch without shedding some pretty big tears all over the place, you need a heart transplant.

There'll always be an England.  There will never be another Vera Lynn.