Armistice Day.

[expat]

LOl, sorry Doug, that quote may have come over a bit harsher than intended, nor was I thinking that Matt implied I was being a keyboard warrior.

Martyn, I was certainly not implying that at all, especially over such a special day. What I was trying to say is that sometimes I get the feeling that it is a race to see who can post an RIP the fastest when there has been a plane crash, national tragedy or a unknown GA pilot orgas in

Matt

[H]

The outlook undoubtedly varies from the younger generations, further from the event, to those of us in a generation closer, particularly having had personal relationships to those more closely involved.

Not sure I agree with that. Most people in my country have at least one family member who died in one of the World Wars but Armistice Day is not just about the Great War. Far too many people are being killed in the name of their country even as I type this. Most people know somebody who has been killed or severely wounded in more recent times. Unfortunately our leaders never seem to learn from history & carry on making the same mistakes.

That's the difference in perspective and our homeland was much less affected than was yours. Whether WW1 or WW2, our sirens went off more often on false alarms while yours accompanied the drone of numerous engines overhead and falling bombs. Still, I'm sure there were those less affected than others and different perspectives in all parts of the U.K. We entered late in both major wars but the Lusitania incident doesn't equal the Pearl Harbor one - nor the Wake Island one that's nigh forgotten; the latter two put us directly into war status. If the Korean conflict hadn't been so soon upon WW2, it may have been a shunned conflict as our Vietnam years originally were; even then, it was dubbed the forgotten war over here (one that never officially ended). I expect your general perspectives may be different with your involvement (that's the other thing that bothers me over here: although less often for WW2, many of the subsequent generations that know about the conflicts are sometimes ignorant of the fact that we weren't fighting these battles all by ourselves). OJT isn't the same as the classroom.

8-)

[The Snake 87]

A quote of some interesting facts of the end of World War I from a forum I am part of named FacilityB5D.

[quote]Common British, Canadian, South African, and ANZAC traditions include two minutes of silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (11:00 am, 11 November), as that marks the time (in the United Kingdom) when armistice became effective.
The Service of Remembrance in many Commonwealth countries generally includes the sounding of "Last Post," followed by the two minutes of silence, followed by the sounding of "Reveille" (or, more commonly, "The Rouse"), and finished by a recitation of the "Ode of Remembrance." The "Flowers of the Forest", "O Valiant Hearts", "I Vow to Thee, My Country" and "Jerusalem" are often played during the service. Services also include wreaths laid to honour the fallen, a blessing, and national anthems.[2]




The news was quickly given to the armies during the morning of 11 November, but even after hearing that the armistice was due to start at 11:00, intense warfare continued right until the last minute. Many artillery units continued to fire on German targets to avoid having to haul away their spare ammunition. The Allies also wished to ensure that should fighting re-start, they would be in the most favourable position. Consequently there were 10,944 casualties of which 2,738 men died on the last day of the war.[4]
Augustin Tr

[Steve M]

I don't mind giving our vets a thumbs up.  [smiley=thumbsup.gif] Sadly WW1 is becoming ancient history as the generations pass, as is WW2. Genghis Khan
was a veteran, General Custer was a veteran, and too many more to mention. At some point in time, all wars become history instead of memories. We seem to learn more from memories than we do from history, because the pains of war echoe in our minds.  My friend Jimmy passed away 6 weeks ago (also a veteran) and his favorite quote was "Now lets all try to get along folks."

Veterans day is every day!

[machineman9]

I did my little bit by escorting the standard through our town. The turn out in general by the public and (ex)serving personnel seemed better this year than most which I think is a good thing.

I will be remembering them. 

[patchz]

And I suspect, I am not the only one having difficulty thinking of the 'right' thing to say. When in doubt, keep my trap shut. I have no problem with the thread. I think it is an honorable tribute. I just could not think of anything to say that had not been said many, many times before, and/or that would not sound trite.

[WebbPA]

Tough choice for Americans.

Should we honor our veterans while our president is in Japan apologizing for our role in WW2?

[machineman9]

Tough choice for Americans.

Should we honor our veterans while our president is in Japan apologizing for our role in WW2?

The soldiers did their job, the president at the time did his. Is it too much to both apologise for the mistakes you've made whilst still thanking those who helped protect your country?

[H]

Tough choice for Americans. Should we honor our veterans while our president is in Japan apologizing for our role in WW2?

The soldiers did their job, the president at the time did his. Is it too much to both apologise for the mistakes you've made whilst still thanking those who helped protect your country?

Genghis Khan was a veteran, General Custer* was a veteran, and too many more to mention.

As I said, "the Lusitania incident doesn't equal the Pearl Harbor one - nor the Wake Island one." It may not have attained statehood yet but even Japan didn't dispute that Hawaii was our territory. The same at the Wake Atoll where they finally succeeded in invading after our Marines held them off from the day of the Pearl Harbor attack until a few days before Christmas; the occupying Japanese executed nearly 100 captured U.S. civilian contract workers, until then subjected to forced labor, after a major October, 1943, "target practice" by TF-14. Sad to say, but the likes of Genghis Khan may well have wiped their entire population from the face of the Earth, notwithstanding the means to do it.
*On a side note, how many know that two Custers died that day in 1876? I think Captain Custer of the 7th Calvary died near his commander, his older brother by five years.

8-)

[Ang2dogs]

The way I look at it, is that here in the US, Memorial Day is to remember those who have paid the ultimite price for our freedoms, and Veterans day is  the day we thank those that are still here, and those that are serving right now, to maintain our freedoms that we enjoy! So to You that served and to You that is serving right now, again, Thanks & God Bless!