William Penn Life, 2016 (51. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)

2016-07-01 / 7. szám

Tibor's Take with Tibor Check, Jr.

Photo this page coutesy GoToHungary.com / Photos opposite page courtesy Wikimapia.com

We remember

Readers share their thoughts on WWI

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK all of the readers who took the time to respond to my prompts presented in last month's Take. But before I provide some of the best submissions relating to monuments, books and other remembrances of World War Ts Eastern Front, I want to briefly address a few sentences that I included in the beginning of last month's Take regarding Hungary's role in World War II.

It is plain from the comments I received about my last Take that this topic is fraught with controversy and emotion, and it is clear to me that many within our community still feel strongly about the events of 1939-1945.1 would like to say that it was not my intention to discuss World War II at length in last month's Take: that subject would require many thousands of words to examine in any proper way, and those thousands of words would do nothing more than scratch the surface. I received several long and passionate responses to my statements about World War II, and each of them is interesting, thought-provoking and vexing. I promise to revisit World War II at a later date in order to present my thoughts on the subject in full.

Now, without further ado, I would like to present a few of the best responses from readers regarding the questions I posed last month.

Question #1: What is your favorite Hungarian World War I monument or memorial, and ivhere is it located?

Les M. wrote to say that his favorite World War I memorial is the "Hungarian World War I Monument.. .located in Budapest on Kossuth Square (pictured left) which I visit each year when I go to Hungary....I am drawn to it because it is a somber reminder of the tragedy which engulfed the Austro- Hungarian Empire after World War I. It also reminds me of the disastrous Trianon Treaty which dismembered Hungary."

Andy G. recommended to me the World War I memorial and museum in Kansas City. In his words: "It is wonderful, a great monument and a great museum. It is the best single purpose museum I have seen. They treat all participants in the war with equality. There is also a library there. I bet you could find almost anything on the war." Andy also wrote that a book he owns, which was published by the Rotary Club of Hungary in 1930, shows a picture of a World War I memorial to the students who were killed in the War. "It is quite large," he says, "[but] I do not know if it is still there, or if it was destroyed by the Russians or the Germans."

Question #2: Do you have a favorite World War I-related anecdote from your travels in Europe to share?

Les M. responded not with a personal anecdote but with a familial one. "My grandfather was a member of the Austro-Hungarian Army during World War I, and he was stationed in what is now Serbia," Les wrote. "He