Resistance heroine who beat the Nazis loses final battle

[Violet_Crumble]

Source: The Age

AFTER witnessing Hitler's early atrocities, Nancy Wake vowed to fight him any way she could.

She fought so well, she ended up top of the Gestapo's wanted list, saved thousands of Allied lives, played a crucial role in D-Day and received France's highest military honour.

She was resourceful, cunning, feisty, brave and tough, once killing a German sentry with her bare hands.

<snip>

But, at the age of 98, Ms Wake was finally beaten. ''The White Mouse'', Australia's most decorated WWII servicewoman, died in London on Sunday of a chest infection.




Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/resistance-heroine-who-beat-the-nazis-loses-final-battle-20110808-1ijc0.html

[newfie11]

1. WOW! What a remarkable woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

:toast:

[Kennah]

2. Feisty indeed

she never received a military honour from Australia and left in 2001 after telling the government it 'could stick their medals where the monkey stuck his nuts'.

RIP Mighty Heroine

[bottom line]

8. Maori

If you read some of the wiki links, she was part Maori
Sometimes the world is blessed
May the great spirit walk with her

[Kennah]

3. From the wiki page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Wake

[No Elephants]

4. A life very well lived, even if that was the only good thing she ever did (which I doubt).

[thecrow]

5. Why do they always say the person "was a loser in the end"?

Why not just proclaim the victories of a well-led life?
This woman was NOT A LOSER.
She didn't even die young... she died at 98! Hers was certainly a life well lived.

[Violet_Crumble]

7. Where did the article say she 'was a loser in the end'?

I would most definately not have posted anything that called Nancy Wake a loser, as she was an inspiring woman who I've admired all my life. The article said she lost her final battle with illness, and I think what they were getting across is that after fighting the Nazis in WWII, it was a mundane infection that got her in the end. She had a very long innings and I'd be happy to get to that age myself. RIP Nancy...

[thecrow]

11. "The article said she lost her final battle with illness"... ?...uh... NO

I am not saying "YOU" posted such a thing, nor that the "article said she was a loser", but rather that articles that declare a person's "last battle" was "lost" BOTHER me.

So, again...Why do they always say the person "was a loser in the end"?

I am saying they should just laud the person and not say that they "lost in the end" or something like that.
There is *no need to detract from the person's achievements* by using any negative terminology, as if they just FAILED to make it over this one last hurdle, which was death or sickness. Their obituary already implies that they have passed on.

Perhaps my quotation marks "threw you off". If there is a simpler way to set the text off, or some code I should use, please inform me.

[trud]

12. Not a loser,

I too hate it when someone who dies is said to be a loser. Criminey and at 98 too.

[thecrow]

14. Exactly my point!

So and So, extreme great beloved by all hero, winner of all Nobel Prizes, Winner of the Supreme Great Lottery of ALL Time, as well as Blah Blah and Furthermore, LOST TODAY TO EXTREME OLD AGE of 178.

It's just not fitting, is it!!?

[chrisa]

21. Yeah, I never liked that particular phrasing that is often used.

Dying at 98 isn't exactly "losing a battle" either. That's a long long life.

[dflprincess]

22. I agree

and, BTW, she would have been 99 at the end of this month.

I just hope she had a peaceful death and, as is sometimes recited at a funeral mass:

"May the angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you."

[RedCloud]

6. A great warrior has passed. May you walk with the Great Spirit.

[indepat]

9. What a difference a solitary person can sometimes make through

a life of extraordinary acts of heroism. :patriot:

[Ter]

10. "Once killing a German sentry with her bare hands"

How, was she quite tall and strong when younger?

[trud]

13. bare hands

When a fellow teenager came home from basic training years ago, he showed me a way to kill someone with your bare hands that even a small person could do.

[14thColony]

15. Training

She went through months of intensive training by the Special Operations Executive. Apparently she excelled in the close combat portion of the course.

[Ter]

19. I always thought the female martial arts killer taking out men with ease like Chun Li was a myth

Not so much now, good for her.

[14thColony]

16. I heard an excerpt from her last taped interview in 2006

It was on BBC Radio 2 this morning. Most memorable part: "For me the only good German was a dead German, and the deader the better. My only regret is that I didn't kill more of them." One must respect her honesty.

To put it in context, the Gestapo tortured her husband trying to find out where in France she was, then executed him when he wouldn't break. I think she developed a grudge.

[tabasco]

17. God bless her and people like her.

If more people had her guts to fight evil, it would be a much better world.

[marasinghe]

18. did real good, Ms. Wake; go in peace.

:thumbsup:

[Mosby]

20. K and R (nt)