June 4th 2010 marked the end of the 70th anniversary of the four day evacuation of Dunkirk, also known as Operation Dynamo. Vice-Admiral Bertram Home Ramsay called for volunteers to help extract the British Expeditionary Force that was pinned down in a small French port by Hitler’s Army. 800 “little ships” answered the call.
Arthur D. Devine was one of those who volunteered:
"It was the queerest, most nondescript flotilla that ever was, and it was manned by every kind of Englishman, never more than two men, often only one, to each small boat. There were bankers and dentists, taxi drivers and yachtsmen, longshoremen, boys, engineers, fishermen and civil servants. . .
It was dark before we were well clear of the English coast. It wasn't rough, but there was a little chop on, sufficient to make it very wet, and we soaked the Admiral to the skin. Soon, in the dark, the big boats began to overtake us. We were in a sort of dark traffic lane, full of strange ghosts and weird, unaccountable waves from the wash of the larger vessels. When destroyers went by, full tilt, the wash was a serious matter to us little fellows. We could only spin the wheel to try to head into the waves, hang on, and hope for the best. . .
For more on this incredible account see this link: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/dunkirk.htm
It is amazing what a little leadership can accomplish. The call went out and the citizens of Great Britain responded. That act of selflessness and patriotism has gone down in history as the “miracle of Dunkirk,” and has become a source of national pride.
We have our own flotilla of “little ships” in the Gulf of Mexico just waiting for a spec of leadership. They are waiting to embark and fight this environmental disaster that is threatening to destroy their way of life. Instead of receiving inspiration and orders, they get finger pointing and lawsuits.
This is not our finest moment.
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