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[felis_ultharus]

So it's Remembrance Day - a day to remember all the naive kids who went off to the meat-grinder of two World Wars, without any real idea what they were getting into

Comments

[em_fish]

My favourite teacher of all time, Mr. Thorn, would organize an annual assembly for Remembrance Day. He would track down the stories of alumni from my school who had gone off to war, and make them into a slide show presentation. His passion for the subject and the immense respect he had for the people who served, shone through every year.

Once I asked him in class; "How do we show the honour and respect we have for our veterans, without glorifying war - I mean, where is the line?"
He thought about it for a moment, then said; "I don't know."

He was awesome.

[felis_ultharus]

It's true. But at the same time, I spent a lot of time a couple of years ago poring over World War II experiences at Dieppe. Once you get down to battlefield level, nothing seems glorious and it seems like something to avoid at all costs.

One thing that's got me annoyed lately is that Harper's been trying to turn Remembrance Day into a pro-military exercise. There's no real memory in his speeches, though, just buzzwords.

[esprix]

We do our fair share of rememberance here, too...

[felis_ultharus]

I know. But on the radio and on the internet, Americans who've lived in both countires have been expressing surprise. We shut down half our shops and all our federal agencies, and hold ceremonies in every town and city. The ceremonies are becoming more popular again, after falling off for some years.

The whole week on the radio and TV, we talk about the two World Wars.