Lest We Forget

[Brett Alex]

I had a great uncle who was a Regimental Sergeant Major on the Western Front.

One day, a single shell wiped out all the officers.

He was field promoted several ranks to Major overnight, and took command of the entire battalion.

A week later he was killed.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

Rain, midnight rain, nothing but the wild rain
On this bleak hut, and solitude, and me
Remembering again that I shall die
And neither hear the rain nor give it thanks
For washing me cleaner than I have been
Since I was born into this solitude.
Blessed are the dead that the rain rains upon:
But here I pray that none whom once I loved
Is dying tonight or lying still awake
Solitary, listening to the rain,
Either in pain or thus in sympathy
Helpless among the living and the dead,
Like a cold water among broken reeds,
Myriads of broken reeds all still and stiff,
Like me who have no love which this wild rain
Has not dissolved except the love of death,
If love it be for what is perfect and
Cannot, the tempest tells me,
disappoint.


This is war. Honour to the dead, sympathy to the living, and contempt for those who would denigrate their sacrifice. For they died for everything, and for nothing, and I know not which was more noble. Not for themselves they died, but for their nation, yet for themselves and their friends they fought, not for their nation.

Can we understand? I doubt it. For even now war still holds a roseatte glow in our hearts, even now the savage horror lies low, and even for those who walked through the hail of bullets and man-made hellfire, he still holds that certain glow, that certain, fond certainty that what we did was right, was just, and that the fear and rage we felt were justified. And that those we killed were at once friends and enemies, and...

Oh hell. We've all got to die sometime.

 

[Altorin]

I'll be observing the silence at 11. Things like this should never be forgotten, yet it's so sad that many children these days don't know why we wear poppies.

My granddad, still alive today, fought in WWII. He carried an old, clunky phonebox that didn't work half the time, yet he still carried it on his back when he stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He survived, too.

being still alive I would imagine he survived

meaning no disrespect of course.

 

[Elurindel]

I'll be observing the silence at 11. Things like this should never be forgotten, yet it's so sad that many children these days don't know why we wear poppies.

My granddad, still alive today, fought in WWII. He carried an old, clunky phonebox that didn't work half the time, yet he still carried it on his back when he stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day. He survived, too.

being still alive I would imagine he survived

meaning no disrespect of course.

Yes, didn't mean for the attack of Captain Obvious. Just that a lot of people died that day.

 

[rossatdi]

High-five!
Sorry, *slautes*.

My granddad and his three brothers went together to fight WW2. One in the navy submarine service (my granddad, survived now passed), two in the army (one killed, one still living) and one in the RAF (not sure if he died in the war or shortly after).

Even though I'm in the process of joining the army I can't possible conceive the enormity of their times.

---

A slightly less more subdued one from Phil Ochs (Remember Me), simply stunning song if you can find it. Although it's making comment of specific injustices in the 60s I think there's a real lesson in not forgetting that all war is a tragedy even when fought for just reasons and we should never forget the freedoms that our forefathers fought, killed and died for.

Remember Me
Oh, I am the Unknown Soldier who died in World War Two.
I didn't want to fight, it was the only thing to do.
I was the victim of a world that went insane--
Will you show me that I didn't die in vain.

Remember me, when the crosses are a burnin',
Remember me, when the racists come around.
Remember me, when the tides of peace are turnin',
Remember me and please don't let me down.

On the South Pacific Islands and the Iwo Jima sands
We raised the flag of freedom over many distant lands
And every time I killed a man my own heart felt the pain--
Will you show me that I didn't die in vain.

Remember me, when the crosses are a burnin',
Remember me, when the racists come around.
Remember me, when the tides of peace are turnin',
Remember me and please don't let me down.

And I carried my old rifle to the European shore
And every friend that died made me die a little more.
Have pity on the man who put a bullet through my brain
And show me that I didn't die in vain.

Remember me, when the crosses are a burnin',
Remember me, when the racists come around.
Remember me, when the tides of peace are turnin',
Remember me and please don't let me down.

When the Fascists started marching many millions had to pay;
We saw them rise to power but we looked the other way.
It happened once before and it can happen once again--
Will you show me that I didn't die in vain.

Remember me, when the crosses are a burnin',
Remember me, when the racists come around.
Remember me, when the tides of peace are turnin',
Remember me and please don't let me down.

 

[Haliwali]

None of my grandparents were old enough to fight in WW2, but grandfather on my dad's side has some stories about when he was a kid being forced to help the Nazi's in his town (fortifications and stuff, don't really remember.) Great grandparents were too young for WW1 and too old for WW2. My dad served with the US Army in the '80s, so I'm pretty much going to be the first person in family to serve during wartime in the past 100 or so years.

On a tangent I did have a great-uncle (or something) who tried to join the SS. Don't remember much about him, save for he died by the end.

EDIT Hooray for funny post counts!

 

[curlycrouton]

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead.
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage.

W. Shakespeare

We will remember them.





But also, let us not forget all those who were forgotten in the War. Remember the women who worked long and hard to keep our soldiers going in a foreign land, those who were so eager to enlist, they were no older than 15. The soldiers from England's colonies, and the black and coloured soldiers who fought so nobly and bravely and yet were ignored and rejected by the very country they fought for.

Let us also remember the concientious objectors, and the peacemakers, for the humiliation they went through to eventually bring peace to the world, in 1945.

And finally, remember the dead. Remember them with every fibre in your body, because they gave up the one single greatest thing they possess, life, in the name of freedom.

But most of all, never forget the horror and injustice of war.

No doubt they'll soon get well; the shock and strain
Have caused their stammering, disconnected talk.
Of course they're 'longing to go out again,' —
These boys with old, scared faces, learning to walk.
They'll soon forget their haunted nights; their cowed
Subjection to the ghosts of friends who died,—
Their dreams that drip with murder; and they'll be proud
Of glorious war that shatter'd all their pride...
Men who went out to battle, grim and glad;
Children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad.

Siegfried Sassoon. 1917.

 

[Atvomat_Nikonov]

I was dissapointed with the respect of Rememberance Day at my school. Poppies were scarce, and the administration didn't ring the bell at 11 to remind us of the silence. I unfortunately forgot my minutes silence at 11 but made up for it with five minutes at 11:10.

 

[Ranooth]

*salute*
We owe thanks to all those brave men and brave women. Without their sacrifice we would not have the freedoms and rights that we take for granted today.

 

[SenseOfTumour]

Yeah, Only recently a war memorial over here in Britain was looted, some scum stole the brass plaques with the names of the dead on, presumably to melt down.

It will cost tens of thousands to replace, and yet they think the scrap metal may net the thieves £200 max.

It's up there with stealing flowers from graves and going around bars selling them.

A really bad part of it is, I believe whoever did it feels no remorse, if I was starving to death and had to steal to survive, I'd at least feel crushing guilt about doing something like that.

Unfortunately there's a mindset among certain groups of people that seems to be 'everything on this planet was put here to either amuse me, or stolen and taken down to the local fence to be traded in for cash'.

Whatever our military our made to do, the majority of them joined up to protect their country and their people.
Remember that, when people return from Iraq and the like, it's not the soldiers anyone should be mad at, if you don't agree with what they are doing, its the leaders and decision makers you need to take it up with, show respect to those who risk their lives to defend you and your way of life. This is coming from someone hugely anti war,because despite meeting evidence to the contrary on a daily basis, I'm still pro people and humanity.

EDIT: to any brits, I KNOW our streets are clogged with clipboards and people wanting your bank details for blind albino kittens and the like, but if you can, do stop and drop a spare quid in the box for the poppy appeals, and take one. If nothing else, it'll help the older generation see that we haven't dismissed what they went thru.

I know I turned down the poppy first time, as I didn't want to take one (cutting into their money, waste, that kinda reason), but then thinking, it's important to show as well as drop a coin or two in the box, I think.

 

[Anarchemitis]

And so we remember.
(Check the time)

 

[Combined]

*salutes*
May those that fought and died never be forgotten, be they German or British, Austro-Hungarian or Turkish, American, Italian, French or of any other nationality.

 

[Zeke109]

Though I may play the games,
Though I may dress up like them,
Though I reenact their battles with the rest of the NWTA,
Though I have watched every war movie imaginable,
Though My mind has probably been warped from romanticized images,
I wish, Oh, How I wish...
That These things would never have happened
And that they are not happening,
And that they never will happen again.
And I pray to god, wether he be there or not,
I pray that this will never happen, and That we will never forget.

 

[irishdelinquent]

/Salutes

To my family who fought in the Great Wars, and my family who still fights to this day.

 

[COR 2000]

I don't have a poem, so the most I can do is this:

Spoiler: Compressed

My Mother's Father and two of her uncles served in WWII. I believe all three were in the Pacific TOW and one of the uncles had a sword that he took from a Japanese soldier. We have it now, but it's buried somewhere....

 

[Supernovajake]

I have no poem to share but I honoured those who were lost, during the minuites silence and I honour those who survived to this day.

 

[Auron555]

War sucks. It's the worst invention in history.

 

[smallharmlesskitten]

That haka thing I posted guys:


Done at the start of the year. (I'm in the maroon crowd, Hood house)

I performed it on the 11th with about 10 people.

It is traditonally a war dance but can be used as a tribute and as a sign of respect.

Edit: If that didnt work--- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr3OduJxr6Q

 

[DiamondJim]

*Salute*

Both of my grandparents were veterans. It's good to see people are still paying respect to those who sacrificed for their country and people.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

To all ye brave men who lived and to the families of all who died, I salute you, your bravery has defended our nations unwaveringly, thank you all for your sacrifice and pain.
*Salutes* My grandpa's a vet, always used to remember his dead friends on this day, it was a sad, sad time.