VOA标准英语2009年-North Carolina World War II Veterans Honor

By Chris Simkins
Washington
10 November 2009

 
The Memorial opened in 2004 and is located on the national mall, honors the service and sacrifice of the 16 million Americans who served, fought and died
November 11 is Veteran's Day, a day when veterans of the armed forces are honored and remembered for their service and sacrifice. An aging group of veterans from the U.S. state of North Carolina, came to Washington D.C., on a pilgrimage to honor their fallen comrades.  

The airplane carrying more than 100 World War II Veterans arrived in Washington right on schedule.

There was a celebration to honor these men known as the "greatest generation" for their service and sacrifice during World War II.

It was an outpouring of admiration¹ and appreciation² for these veterans from North Carolina.

They came to the nation's capital as guests of Rotary³ International. Their ultimate destination; the World War II Memorial.

"A memorial like this was a long time coming," Harley Affeldt says. "It should have been built many years ago."

The Memorial, which opened in 2004 on the national mall, honors the service and sacrifice of the 16 million Americans who served, fought and died during World War II. 

These men who saw war have never seen the memorial dedicated⁴ to their service. 
Some were greeted by former US Senator and presidential candidate Bob Dole⁵, who was wounded and decorated three times for his heroism⁶ during the allied⁷ campaign to liberate⁸ Italy.

 
World War II Veterans visit The Memorial
Amid the beauty of the waterfalls and plaques⁹ some of the veterans reflected and remembered.

"It is very very emotional," Affeldt says. "I have already seen some of the men with tears in their eyes. "

Others took pictures and shared war stories from their youth.

"I was shot and a German artillery¹⁰ shell exploded and I had several pieces of shrapnel in me," Bennie Fletcher explains.

"I landed in the second wave on Omaha Beach on D-day," Jimmy Ciccarello says.

Among those taking part were US Senator Richard Burr and his father David from North Carolina.

"This is an opportunity for individuals who served over 60 years ago," Senator Burr says, "many never talked about what they did or where they were, to bond with people who did exactly the same thing and who never questioned what they were asked to do."

88-year-old Earl Hucks and 90-year-old Brantley were two of five brothers who served during War World II.

"Veterans day is a day I will never forget," he says, "and it means a whole lot to me."

For many of these veterans who are in their 80's and 90's now, this may be the very last trip they make to Washington. But they say the memories they take away from this trip will last for the rest of their lives.

1 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

2 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

3 rotary   

adj.(运动等)旋转的；轮转的；转动的

参考例句：

• The central unit is a rotary drum.核心设备是一个旋转的滚筒。
• A rotary table helps to optimize the beam incidence angle.一张旋转的桌子有助于将光线影响之方式角最佳化。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 dole   

n.救济，（失业）救济金；vt.（out）发放，发给

参考例句：

• It's not easy living on the dole.靠领取失业救济金生活并不容易。
• Many families are living on the dole since the strike.罢工以来，许多家庭靠失业救济金度日。

6 heroism   

n.大无畏精神，英勇

参考例句：

• He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
• Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍全国。

7 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

8 liberate   

v.解放，使获得自由，释出，放出；vt.解放，使获自由

参考例句：

• They did their best to liberate slaves.他们尽最大能力去解放奴隶。
• This will liberate him from economic worry.这将消除他经济上的忧虑。

9 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

10 artillery   

n.(军)火炮，大炮；炮兵(部队)

参考例句：

• This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
• The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。