Lest We Forget
 

I was going to post this in the other Remembrance Day thread, but that was shaping up to be a flame war, so...

At 5:00AM on November 11 1918, three representatives of the German government accepted the armistice terms presented to them by General Foch of the French Army. The demands of the armistice included the withdrawal of German forces to the east bank of the Rhine within 30 days; immediate cessation of warfare; and surrender of the German fleet and all heavy guns with no further negotiations until the signing of the peace treaty.

The armistice became effective at 11am the same day, and as the guns fell silent on the Western Front in France and Belgium, four years of hostilities ended.

In other words, OWNED.

Take a minute today and reflect on all you have and all you look forward to. The veterans of past wars have given you everything. You owe them a debt of respect and gratitude.

Lest we forget.


Zone

Indeed we do... *minutes silence*

5 gun salute*
bigzooka:
bigzooka:
bigzooka:
bigzooka:
bigzooka:

*Bumping for the vets* freak:


Zone

Yes, they truly deserve respect. Though the day seems to be forgotten by most. It's shaping up like that old saying, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away.."

Well said boys..... *Salute*

They deserve the utmost of respect even from the highest people.
You could tell by the Queens face she would rather have been at home watchign tv eating scones than sitting through a sermon dedicated to those who fought and died. I thought she was a disgrace to the nation.
I am one the lucky few to have had relatives fighting in the great war - (and world war 2), and not lost anyone. And it was probably because their brothers who died, kept them alive.
*Salutes*

Yes it seems that to alot of people, mostly kids in school its just another day off hake:

I plan on leaving work early so I can go to the Veteran's Memorial setup down on 45th street and Park Ave. It's an armory for the 69th INF Brigade, and they have a huge museum setup with stuff from the war, along with a giant plaque, and other stuff. Hopefully, I'll get there before 5PM.

well actually now we kids dont get a day off at school but sometimes i go with my dad to a remembrance day cerimony where they name a bunch of guys that were fighting with my grampa

I get the day off, and I went to a remembrance thing on Saturday, it was really neat. I really can't do anything today, my Dad has to work.

We've already had our day in NZ...ANZAC day. I wore my poppie with pride, and woke up early to go to the dawn parade....I thanked some vets in person too...It was really cool.

Not to make mutiple posts, I'll do it here.

[img]http://msimg.com/canada/m/ca/niplib/Nov2002/flag_getty.jpg[/img]

War is what brought us together, as nation, as country. That day that we took Vimy Ridge, we stood tall, pround, united in victory. Today we are here to remember those whom had fallen during the wars of the last century. And remember we must, as we are in a time when those he fought and came back to tell about it, and slowly becoming no more. For most of us we can even come close to vaule this day in the way it should be, because we did not live through the hardships, pain and suffer, and it is hard for us to understand it all. With that said we must at least respect this day.

Lest we forget those who stood on guard for thee.

Words can't express the thanks i feel for the men and women who fought for my freedom.
I spent some time scrolling around the internet reading stories and came across this one i'd like to share. This story was written by a 13 yr old girl who visited the Vietnam War Memorial Wall and depicts her feelings. I actually got teary-eyed reading it. It's kinda long but definately worth the read. Enjoy.

[The Power of a Name
by Valerie
The Castilleja School
Palo Alto, CA
I never really imagined that a name could have so much meaning. Walking along the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial I was faced with thousands of names belonging to thousands of people who had each given their lives for our country. I stood there, surrounded by spectators, all quiet in respect and honor, but the personal meaning didn’t reach any deeper than the engraved letters on the wall. To me they were just labels, not the true souls that they represented. I had never known the soldiers who had lost their lives; I hadn’t even been alive to experience the war.
I slowly made my way deeper into the list, passing flowers and small gifts left in remembrance. I saw a wreath left by Boy Scout Troop #471, and a letter left by a little girl for her "grampa." For some reason it surprised me that people would come to the memorial to pay their respects to their loved ones. Wasn’t this just a place for tourists to come take pictures of a very historical monument? Besides, they were, after all,just names.

Soon I began to become tired of the repetitive carvings in stone. Row after row, it became harder and harder for me to imagine that each identity listed had a true character and personality. I began to walk on the less crowded side of the path that was farther away from the wall. Aftersnapping a few pictures with my disposable camera, I thought I had experienced the essence of the memorial.

Then I saw something that made my heart fall silent and my feet freeze in their place. There, standing in front of Section 34 on the right half of the wall, was a woman. Her royal blue outfit and white gloves highlighted her dark chocolate skin, making her stand out from the crowd as it rushed past her. It was as if she were in a completely different world, surrounded by nothing except her thoughts. I watched as she reached her gentle hand up and lightly touched the wall in front of her. Slowly, she traced her fingers over the name "Frederick Holeburg."* She stroked it with such softness and purity, it was as if she had never felt anything more precious in her life. Closing her eyes, she took a breath, and I could see her imagine him standing there in front of her. She didn’t move, as if afraid to lose her husband all over again Her breathing became so deep and relaxed, she seemed to be in a state of complete solitude. I tried not to make any noise, even though I knew she wouldn’t notice. I didn’t want to disturb what seemed to be such a placid and tranquil moment.

By looking at the way she held her hand against the stone, I felt I could see back into the many years they spent in each other’s arms. I could see her smiling at him and touching his face; not just his name. I saw them taking long walks and falling more in love with each other every minute they were together. I could see him holding her hand as long as he could as he had to leave to go and fight in the war. I could see her sitting at home, barely being able to sit still, as she waited to hear news of him. I could see her crying when she found out he had died.

Then, as if she had suddenly awoken from her dream, a tear quickly ran down her cheek. She opened her eyes and looked at the name of the one who had meant more than anything else in the world to her. She began to cry as she leaned her head against the wall. "I love you," she said. "I will always love you."

With that she stood up and wiped her eyes. She pressed her lips against her hand, making sure that her kiss would be felt, and then she touched her husband’s name one last time. Slowly her arm retreated down to her side, and after standing in peace for a minute, she reached into her purse and pulled something out. She placed it on the ground, glanced at the wall once more, and slowly turned and walked away.

I moved closer towards Fred Holeburg’s name. Beneath me I saw a white rose with a maroon red bow tied around it. Next to it lay a white card with calligraphy writing. I leaned over to read what had been written;

"In honor of the best husband, chef, and friend I have ever met: I love you, Fred."

I smiled as a tear rolled down the side of my face. I never guessed that a complete stranger could have such an effect on me without even knowing. In those twenty minutes I learned more about life and about myself than I could have ever aspired to learn in months. I learned what it means to truly love someone. I discovered that some people are cherished so much in life and death that the sight of their name can cause great emotion in those theyhave touched.

Fred Holeburg had made an impact that went deeper than the engraved letters of his name. Fred Holeburg affected the fate of his country; Fred Holeburg affected the soul of his wife; and unintentionally, Fred Holeburg affected my heart. To me he was no longer just a name on the side of the wall. Even though I had never met him, I knew he was a hero, and that he deserved so much more recognition than he received, as did the other thousands of names that stood in front of me. Looking around, I no longer saw thousands of words; I saw thousands of brothers, grandparents, husbands and sons. I saw inspiring people who each had been adored by their loved ones. Only then did I realize the essence of the Vietnam Memorial. It is not a name that needs to be remembered, it is a person.

I then quickly began frantically reading the names on the wall, trying not to miss one of the remarkable soldiers that undoubtedly deserved so much more than just a glance. I wanted to understand and learn about each man who had lost his life, but then I became aware of the amazing magnitude of the memorial.

As it was time to leave, I thought of the countless soldiers’ names that I did not even have time to read, let alone get to know. Even though I couldn’t get to know each soldier in the war, my eyes had been opened to a new world of perspective.

I walked away from the wall, the names growing smaller with every step I took. Finally they were no longer visible, and I said goodbye to the names I had read, and the heroes I had respected.]


God Bless all the War heros and Veterans.

Now remember, war = bad.