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We got there a bit late, we helped turned the tide, but Americans spent less than two years in the horror of the Western Front. So perhaps we can be forgiven for having our own Remembrance Day in May. Originally observed as Decoration Day, Memorial Day was originally about remembering those who died in the horror of the American Civil War. When brother killed brother, sometimes quite literally.
I don't need a special day, I came home, many did not. I remember them, twice a year as it turns out. Memorial Day and Armistice Day.
To each his own.
Particularly because of this line in that poem above ...
If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies growIn Flanders fields.
I will never break faith with those who fell.
Never.
Aye Sarge, remembrance no matter what the day is called.
ReplyDeleteAmen.
ReplyDeleteAt my dad's VFW Post the men still called it Armistice Day into the 1970s. There were still several Doughboys around.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9X6RGwvRmE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhaV23qH6Yc
https://youtube.com/shorts/Zd5ga-7gbMI?feature=shared
Out of curiosity, who here marks it wit 2 minutes of silence starring at 1058?
DeleteIt's a Pittance of Time
https://youtu.be/2kX_3y3u5Uo?is=dXlkS1qLpJF6PLKu
For when the guns went silent
https://youtu.be/VWQ2tBTJqoQ?is=bUDp6b0qO2RBBkvm
Rocket, Ross, Joe, Harry, Marty. All guys that were in my Squadron(s).
ReplyDeletejuvat
I have preferred the title "Armistice Day" to "Veteran's Day" for many years. Not meant as disrespect to Veterans; "Armistice Day" is just a bit more elegant.
ReplyDeleteAye, Armistice Day it should be, but it has morphed into an echo of Memorial Day (Decoration Day to the old timers). Our fallen certainly deserve to be remembered and honored every day, and nothing wrong with raising it significantly twice, not just once a year.
ReplyDeleteStill, there is nothing wrong with a "Veteran's Day" honoring those few, those very few nowadays, who have voluntarily (or otherwise) worn the uniform and by luck of timing, place, or branch never saw combat, or even participated but lived to tell the tales. Military service, when universal, was a unifying experience shared by nearly all American men, and many women. Today, only those who care enough to volunteer become members of this important segment of our society. Vastly outnumbered by people who chose to "... sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." Or, as Kipling put it- "making mock of uniforms that guard you while you sleep."
So, to all of us who served, rough men and women in uniform who have stood ready to do violence, THANK YOU!!
But, never forget MacArthur's observation:
"The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."
John Blackshoe
We are here because of them. I don't forget.
ReplyDeleteCrusty Old TV Tech here. Sarge, I too have a great-Uncle who fell in WW2. My father always remembered Uncle Sydney on this day, as he fell on 10 November, one day before the Armistice. Even has an American Legion hall co-named in his honor. And the echoes of Decoration Day even farther back, as remembered by his old maid Aunt, Sydney's little sister. We do remember.
ReplyDeleteCrusty Old TV Tech again. WW1, not WW2.
ReplyDeleteThe closest military operation is about 50 miles away in DC with the Pentagon. So, I drive the neighborhood nuts at 0530 by playing the bugle call To Arms on my outdoor speakers followed by a blast from the old carbide cannon, then To the Colors. The cannon rattles windows about 5 miles away, due to an overcharge for effect. Never have complaints as I'm surrounded by vets.
ReplyDeleteThe Imperial War Museum have recreated the moment the guns fell silent on the Western Front based on actual recordings.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwisj9WqWc0
Retired
Even national radio stations observe 2 minutes silence in the U.K. 11:00 Big Ben sounds on air. 2 minutes later, as you were, carry on
ReplyDelete(Hogday)
When I was doing radio (RadioLiberty - KKMC, KFAX etal) We ended our programs with a recitation of the poem. I hope in those days we stirred a little enthusiasm for the cause of understanding.
ReplyDeleteHope you are seeing better and the pain is gone.
Fuzz D4
Some soreness, but healing. Praise the Lord!
Delete