Remembrance Day/Veterans Day

[belfastuniguy 18]

November 11th is the date on which the United Kingdom and Commonwealth Nations remember their war dead. It is the most important remembrance event in the United Kingdom and a day of significance on other Commonwealth nations.

The day is also marked in the United State as Veterans Day. In the UK and Canada on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month the nations observe a silence, this is also the case in other Commonwealth nations.

This day not only remembers the dead of the Great War (WWI) but also World War Two and all conflicts the British and Commonwealth forces have been involved in from Korea, the Falklands, Northern Ireland to the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. We remember the 1.8million commonwealth forces that died in both world wars and the 16,000 British Armed Forces that have died in conflict and as the result of terrorist action since 1948.

It's also a day to remember all those that died, over 80 million from World Wars One and Two alone both military and civilian on all sides including the victims of war crimes and crime against humanity.

For The Fallen by

Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Canadian coverage starts 10:00 EST on the CTV network.

[beebs 129]

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

I've donned my "Poppy Leaf" for the next few days as well.

[BurroDiablo 222]

Yep, i'll definitely be showing my respects tomorrow... 2 minutes silence doesn't seem enough though, kinda makes you feel guilty. Its a special Rememberance Day tomorrow as its a Sunday too.

[SystemUK 0]

Is it a one or two minute silence?

[belfastuniguy 18]

two minutes

[Boggy1 45]

We have the Royal Welsh Regiment stationed in my town, so there will be a huge parade tommorow. I've got my poppy ready.

With the current conflics all over the world, I think we should also take the time to think about them. The thousands dead and dying all over the world at this very instant is truely appaling.

If only WW1 really was The War to End all Wars.

And also..I think this is quite fitting..it's..horrific...

http://www.reuters.com/news/pictures/slideshow?collectionId=1272

This one makes me want to cry..

[patriots_1228 51]

boggy-thats.....i cant even describe it. To think that they went through all that just so that me and my friends/family and every other free person could be safe.....well, it adds some more meaning to veterans day this year for me than just a day off from school. Looking at these kinds of injuries, makes me wish we still fought with swords and sheilds.

[BurroDiablo 222]

Wow... my thoughts exactly... to go through what those guy have gone through would be truely horrific... that Cpl. Isaac Gallegos guy looks like he's been burnt from head to toe... I hope Bush took in anything he had to say... and more importantly, that war should have never been the answer.

[Duke87 1,070]

Yes, well, tomorrow should be Veterans day. But since we Americans are lazy and want a day off for it, it's not. So we instead have it on the nearest Monday, this year the 12th.

We do this with every national holiday except Christmas (because the federal government doesn't have the authority to change the date) and Independence Day (since it's always been known as "the fourth of July", and that one's just a little too important to not celebrate on the actual day).

Interestingly enough, though, I have class on Monday. Manhattan college doesn't give it off. And considering we got Labor Day and Columbus day off, I don't exactly get why not....

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

Because this isnt about taking a day off. This is about paying respect to those who gave their lives.

[6underground 11]

To all those Allies who fought bravely for my very existence. Thank you.

To ALL Commonwealth Nations, a huge thank you.

To the U.S.A, a huge thank you.

To the French, Dutch, Spanish, Greek and all other allies in Europe, thank you.

To those resistance fighters, viva liberty!

[bakercity 270]

Vetrans Day and Remembrance Day to me is to say thanks to all who fought for the name of freedom. The holiday hits close to home for me as my dad is a vetran of the United States Navy and was involed in the 1st Iraq War (Pershing Gulf War in the 1990's). I am not a big supporter of War in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the troops fighting over there are doing thier jobs and fighting for freedom of the world and people of Iraq and Afghanistan. God Bless ALL trops from the UK, Canada, USA, and everyone else. God Bless them all. JKB

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

In the end, I watched the CBC coverage that began at 0930 EST with a run of the Vimy 90th Anniversary ceremonial then switched to Ottawa for the live ceremony.  Very moving.

The best oratory was saved for the Rabbi at the end.  One of the most moving speeches I have ever heard.

A crowd of 30,000 (estimate) attended.

[Meg 368]

Originally posted by: 6underground

To all those Allies who fought bravely for my very existence. Thank you.

To ALL Commonwealth Nations, a huge thank you.

To the U.S.A, a huge thank you.

To the French, Dutch, Spanish, Greek and all other allies in Europe, thank you.

To those resistance fighters, viva liberty!

quote>

I passed that along to my father, who is an American WWII vet.   Told them about the 2 minutes of silence.  It had both him and my mother in tears.  Sometimes they feel like no one remembers their generation.

Thank you, guys.   Your sentiments and actions are truly appreciated.

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

I observed the two minutes silence at 11am GMT this morning, watched it on BBC, I have to say it is very moving stuff. All week, the BBC has been running a special on the five remaining soldiers from the Great War, and the first word that came to my head as I watched these aged men was "heroes". Nothing could have been harder than to go out and face your almost certain death on a battlefield, death in a much more brutal way than our soldiers nowadays are subject to. Yet these men did it, and came back. What legends, what heroes. And this goes for the millions of men on both sides of the conflict, as many of those on the other side died defending a cause they perhaps didn't understand or believe in, they were merely called up to fight for the government's wishes.

I have to give my utmost thanks to these people, who have died in all world conflicts so that I can live and enjoy the standard of living I do today. Sincerely, from my heart. Thank you. I will always respect people who risk their lives on the frontline of conflict, they will always have my respect.

[Boggy1 45]

I also observed the two minutes silence. We watched the parade all morning. It was very moving to see major Government officlas, members of the royal family, and finally the survivng veterans place the wrethes of poppies at the base of the memorial. It moved my Mum to tears.

Millions upon million died. Both soldiers and civilans. Both sides. It's as if someone took a scyth and sliced through a generation. What's so tragic is how false the expectations of the war the soldiers thought they had. They thought the war would be "Over by Christmas", and would be a fun time. Thats how previous wars were; they were honourable battles that included very little fighting or bloodshed.

We even had groups of soldiers, say, all the members of a local football team, who would join together and form a soldier group. They called them "Pals Battalions". Often, every one of them was killed. The entire male population of many villages were killed in a single battle.

Worse, was the Third Battle of Ypres. A total of 708,000 died. Seven-hundred-and-eighty-thousand. Thats about the size of Austin, Texas. The Battles of Passchendaele were the worst of these battles. In one day, 15,000 Allied troops were slaughtered. Would you like to know what, after all of these deaths, after about 5 months of continous fighting gave the Allies? Five miles of land. Five. Miles. Of. Land.

And within the year, the Germans had taken all of that land back.

It's disgusting.

[ILL Tonkso 1,236]

My dad is currently on the Falkland Islands for the first time since the Falklands war. Seeing the aftermath and outting some things to rest. He has told me a lot more about his experiences lately, and how he had to pull out crushed body parts from the pump when trying to save the Glamourgan. And how close he himself came to death (He would have never made it if he had a little more patience and didnt leave the lunch queue in the ships mess halls).

So a special one to the 13 men who lost their lives, 5 of which, friends of my dad.

* Lieutenant David H. R. Tinker

* Petty Officer Michael J. Ad*****

* Petty Officer Colin P. Vickers

* Cook Brian Easton

* Air Engineering Mechanician Mark Henderson

* Air Engineering Mechanician Brian P. Hinge

* Acting Chief Air Engineering Mechanician David Lee

* Air Engineering Artificer Kelvin I. McCallum

* Cook Brian J. Malcolm

* Marine Engineering Mechanic Terence W. Perkins

* Leading Cook Mark A. Sambles

* Leading Cook Anthony E. Sillence

* Steward John D. Stroud

[sebbyb07 2]

I know several soldiers serving out in Iraq and Afghanistan right now, both in The Royal Marines and Navy, it is important to also remember those who have given their lives in modern conflict. A great big thank you goes out from me to all serving and ex serving members of the forces, as well of course to the families of the deceased. I was meant to be taking part in the services in London today however is was not able to, but i attended a parade in my home town and was amazed with the turn out, the service of the brave men who protect this country as well as others has defiantly not been forgotten.

[panthersimcity4 162]

My dad was drafted in the Vietnam War in the navy. So today's his day

Boggy1: Poor guy. ...ever since weapons of mass destruction were created, War has become so horrifying. The good old days where when only soldiers fought eachother.... like patriots_1228 said, with swords and shields. Nowadays civillians are murdered by bombings and millions of fathers and sons and family members perish...

[LarksTonguesInAspic 28]

Personally, this day hits home for me, too. My family has a long history of military service, going back to the French-Indian war in the 1750's. Although I was rejected( I have a metal plate in my jaw, they can't take you if you have metal in your body) I still have have the military in my blood. 

May the brave heroes past rest in peace, job well done. For those in Europe, where the civilian deaths exceeded the soldier's deaths in number, my condolences to you as well. Those of us here in the States cannot understand what it's like to have war on your own soil, 9/11 (or 11/9 if you prefer) notwithstanding. A hearty 'thank you' to our servicemen and women.

[DanWalker8 3]

I am in a Great War class. It has been eye-opening and this day holds new meaning for me. I am almost ashamed that i slept past twelve pm. I will take my own two minutes tonight.

[octaves 4]

For a school project I was to do a poem about Remembrance Day.  It is called "Condolences".

You can find it here in the Songwriters, Writers and Poets Unite!! Thread.  You may have to scroll down a little to the bottom of the post

[panthersimcity4 162]

Originally posted by: DanWalker8 I am in a Great War class. It has been eye-opening and this day holds new meaning for me. I am almost ashamed that i slept past twelve pm. I will take my own two minutes tonight.quote>

I know, I forgot to this morning and I've felt the guilt all day