In the midst of all this election activity, it is worth pausing to note the passing today of Delmer Berg, the last known living US veteran of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
The full story is here.
www.washingtonpost.com/…
As the Post notes, the Brigade fought on the losing side of the Spanish Civil War against the Nationalist regime headed by Francisco Franco. The main supporters of the Republicans were the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, while the main support for Franco came from Hitler’s Germany and Mussolini’s Italy. Both sides drew volunteers from around the world, but most Americans known to have fought did so on the Republican side. It was a time both of great idealism and bitter disillusionment, which the author and veteran George Orwell memorialized in his epochal book A Homage to Catalonia.
The Spanish Civil War is worth remembering for the sacrifices of those like Mr. Berg, who survived the conflict to lead a long and fascinating life of social justice that included work with the NAACP, the United Farm Workers, and organizing against US intervention in Central America.
Let us take a moment today to say fare well to a Great American.
Rest in peace Mr. Berg.