My fawts on dis R so strng I ave 2 ask Aki to rite dis 4 me coz i dunno da English wrds.
"Today is Rememberance Sunday, and exactly 90 years ago, peace was declared in the First World War. At 11 am GMT, many dignitaries will gather at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall to lay Wreaths in Rememberance of ALL the soldiers who died in ALL wars, in the name of peace. Every year at exactly 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month, this ceremony is observed in England.
The Queen of England, her family, her Prime Minister, most of the Government, and many foreign leaders are present to pay their respects. This year more than many will be present as it is the 90th Anniversary of the Ceasefire in the "War to End All War" (H.G.Wells).
It is a very sombre occasion, and takes place every year. It is a worthwhile ceremony, commemorating peace.
My question is simple: What about the soldiers who fall in battle tomorrow, in Afghanistan, Iraq, in places where peace blatantly does NOT exist? Why wait for another 364 days to remember them?
It may smack of hypocrisy, but it may also be just another case of incongruence. "
Mi fanxz to Aki for da tranlation.
1 comment:
Allow me to attempt to reply to this post. I am blessed for my Father fought in the Korean War and lived to tell about it, which is why I can even exixt. I had an uncle who was never shot at as far as I know who helped to occupy Germany at the WW2's end. Afghanistan and the current Iraq War is the only conflicts I have not had a close relative engaged in going back to WW2. They are all alive; some even retired from the military.
Having said that, I will tell you, although it may take dignitaries and most others 364 days to mourn the loss of fathers, sons, and daughters who have been lost in battle or simply killed in some military accident, the families, friends, and relatives of each person who is lost is mourn as soon as they hear. They wait for no holiday, ceremony, or any other event. They mourn then and there and for a long time afterwards; sometimes for the rest of their lives. Let me not forget their comrades in arms who were there when they fell on the battlefield. Although they must contain their grief as much as humanly possible on the battlefield, they too will mourn the loss of their battlefield comrade when time permits, even if they did not know them personally.
Whole communities in many of the tiny towns some soldiers come from will mourn the death of their citizen lost on tomorrow's battlefield. You will even stop and pause for a moment when you see someone in your city or town was lost in battle, as you read his obituary.
The pomp and ceremony of such events as you mention is to regularly remind society to never forget those who least like war, soldiers, yet give their lives for a cause their country calls them to defend. It is to remind leaders when you call a men to war, you are calling men to their death, therefore you should think long, hard, and deeply before you send men and women to their death, for that blood is upon your hands and no one else's.
In the end, I agree with you. However, I also know these lost human beings who had so much to offer the world are always remembered by those who loved them most and meant the most to these lost ones. I sometimes wish we did not call such days holidays. Remembrance Day really is a better name. Yet, I know today, that many in America will work on our Armistice Day, which will be this Tuesday, while others will take a holiday, not fully understanding what this day means. In fact, I know a little of how the military are often looked down upon, if they are looked upon at all, by many people in America and around the world.
I sincerely wish it was much better, as you suggest it should be. Because my father eventually went from being a soldier, turned civilian, then went into the Navy, I know from time to time, I use to have dreams of WW3, for my father's ship was often sent to places of conflict or potential conflict long forgotten, where he could have died because things went wrong. So, many of us even remember the living and like soldiers everywhere, we live to dream of peace for all for alltime. Sadly, this will never truly be. Our final and best tribute to those lost is to live life and to live it to the best of our ability. Life is precious and so is freedom. That men on either side of a battle must die is quite sad. For on both sides we have fathers, sons, and daughters who will never see home again and never have the chance to meet in friendship and peace.
I wonder how many dead from WW1 and WW2 would marvel at former bitter enemies like you and I, Japan vs. America can share such deep feelings as we are sharing here today. Their deaths have not been in vain. Nor will today's and tomorrow's deaths in Afghanistan, Iraq, and even the Congo these days. We mourn the soldiers and civilians, for there but by the grace of God go you and I to our graves, the victim of some war or conflict.
I wish I had the right words to say here and I thank you for your thoughts. I have lived much of my life with a connection to both the living and dead of war. An odd irony is I was not seen as medically fit to join the military. During the Vietnam War, the then U.S. Military draft did not draft anyone the year I was eligible to be called to military duty. I wasn't about to volunteer, based on what many relatives said who were in Vietnam. However, I had to take the military physical and a heart murmur I was born with made me ineligible to do what so many of my relatives did; put my life on the line to be shot at. I can't forget those who did. That's all for now. Thank you for remembering. Take care and God bless one and all.
Post a Comment