Lest We Forget

[Colin S]

Today marks Remembrance Day in Canada. I took the bus downtown to the ceremonies and watched as thousands of people stood in silence with their hats off in the freezing air to honour those Canadians who fell for our country. This was followed by a flyover by three CT155's from Cold Lake.

 

I hope all of you Canadians stopped at 1100 this morning and gave two minutes of silence to the fallen of our nation, and I hope that those in other countries around the world will stop on their day of remembrance and think about who was sacrificed for you to be where you are now.

 

Rest in peace infantry, sailors and airmen alike who lost their lives in our wars which have been far too many. 

 

Lest We Forget.

[howardthepilot1999]

Not only canada, our school stopped for the one minute silence on the 11th hour as well.

 

Hooah to all soldiers

[Astrogator]

A dead soldier is a victim, not a hero. We should change our thinking and stop politicians let die human beings for their personal interests.

[pryoski]

Well ... here's my slightly more measured perpsective as an ex soldier and I come from a line of 'em. My father was a solder, my grandfather (who died as a POW in Sandakan), and two great uncles were soldiers who died in Gallipoli and in France respectively both at the age of 18. On Rememberance Day and on ANZAC day we grieve for family we've lost in these wars as ALL families do, and we grieve for the pain and suffering these wars inflict on entire societies ... but we are well aware that war is the game of empire, and those who die on all sides of conflict have been pawns of empire driven by power and greed.

 

I think it's important to commemorate these days, but not for the reasons most people think. In my mind their 'country' forsake their true memory ... and only keep up appearances as a marketing exercise. The common idea of patriotism that's normally trotted out, with all the parades, platitudes, movies and television ... it's mostly marketing inspired rhetoric.

 

A dead soldier is indeed a victim, but he or she may also have been heroic in their struggle through life and in their final moments. I regard the people I know who died in conflict as heroes ... every one of them, because when fate found them where they were, they dealt with it the best way they could one way or another ... and their humanity lives on. Things are not always so black and white, and many heroes die outside of wars as well.

 

To cap off this little story, I'd like to share that I have a great affinity with the stories about my grandfather who died in the Sandakan death marches. He was a tailor in civvy life and was probably too old to go to war .. but he did because he thought he was doing the right thing and I honour him for that. But the thing that moves me most about my grandfather, is that while he was a POW, he used to sew dungarees out of canvas duffle bags for the other POW's. He used the best skill he had (tailoring garments) to help his mates and make life a little more bearable for all of them ... and you won't see that type of heroism in any dang movie. He was known by his mates as "Tailor Bill".

 

Cheers!

Edited November 12, 2013 by Kris Pryo

[Claude D]

 

 

http://youtu.be/1g6RltYf_Sk