I am Anzac-ed out. As far as I'm concerned, Anzac Day has no more significance than any other day of war on which people were killed.I think what we do is "celebrate" ANZAC day because of the major event of stupidity and death that occurred but the remembrance part of the day applies to all war vets in all conflicts that Australia is part of.
Commemorate is a better word than celebrate.
I am in Paris preparing to travel to the Dawn Service at the Australian War memorial in Villers Bretonneux. My uncle who was killed on the Somme in 1916 is buried nearby. My mother was only 7 at the time.
I went to the Gallipoli Dawn Service in 2002. I try each year to be present at the Dawn Service in Martin Place. Once (2010) I attended the service in Dunedin but usually I combine Easter and Anzac in visiting relatives back in Sydney. I think it is important to remember those who fought in the past even if I believe many of the wars were pointless. The soldiers did not understand that at the time. They did not have the investigative journalism (let alone the internet) that we have today.
Anzac battle is as good as any to celebrate mateship. If you're going for numbers then Aussie sacrifice is pretty small compared to Russians with their 20 million dead. But they did have that psycho Stalin running the show, probably what was needed to beat the unhinged Hitler.Yes, but you are talking two different wars here.
Thanks for sharing. Can you tell us about the crowd numbers over this weekend at Villers Bretonneux?The papers say 6000. It teemed rain. They said there were nearly 100 coaches. I was on number 44 waiting to be collected afterwards. I was impressed with the large number of French people who turned up at 5.30am despite the weather. They are grateful to the Australians who saved their town on April 25, 1918. I sat next to a couple - Brits who told me they lived in Australia for 17 years and also in NZ. They had wanted to attend although they are now living back in the UK. Left work on Friday afternoon and drove to France.
Well done. I hope you enjoyed the parade.I visited France several times in the later 70's early 80's but did not visit the Somme. I guess that was my anti-Vietnam beliefs. I ahve made up for it in my visits since 2002. However I like to think I never disrespected the guys who went. Some of them were my school mates. If I had been born 6 months later I would have been involved in the disgraceful "lottery" call up.
The least I hope for is that there will never be a repeat of the treatment meted out to Vietnam veterans upon their return from active service ever again. At this point of time, I see that ranking as one of Australia's grossest injustices.
... John Howard when PM, commented clearly and correctly when going to Iraq/Afghanistan that any "problem" with the involvement in war should be taken up with the Government and not those serving - a clear reflection of what happenned during the Vietnam anti-war era.
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