Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Lest We Forget

Today, we pause to give thanks to the men, women and animals, who have and are serving in the Canadian forces and with our allies. 


 Years ago, I was visiting my father's parents. Gramps, was a WWII veteran. His father had been a POW in WWI. Grandmother's father had fought in the trenches in WWI and had been gassed. Over breakfast, my grandparents had a debate as to which of their fathers had a harder time at war. They were each supporting the others father. Although I was never asked my opinion,  I would have sided with Gramps, and go with the trenches being the worst. He after all was the one with the first hand knowledge of war. 

 It was one of the few times that a discussion of the conditions of war happened in my presence. Not that I blame survivors for not wanting to share horrors that are beyond most of our imaginations. However,  with so many veterans lost to old age (including my Gramps), I worry that the stories and lessons from those horrific times will be lost with them. 

More recent conflicts have not had the huge societal impact that WWI and WWII had. Those without family members or friends directly involved in the recent conflicts, were able to "ignore" these conflicts in a way those facing shortages, daily casualty lists, etc. during the World Wars couldn't. 
 "Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it."

We will use this day, to thank all who serviced and as a reminder to keep history alive, in hopes of producing a better, more peaceful world. Because at the end of the day, that is what all the sacrifices were for. 


Solemnly,  The Lady, proud Great-granddaughter, Granddaughter and sister-in-law of Canadian Forces Members

31 comments:

  1. I'll second that ... we can't throw away the past like an old shoe... and I will remember all that brave men who came to bring freedom to my country...
    Lee, red is your color.... think I will see this photo tonight before I fall asleep :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. My Mum used to audit a bakery where the head baker had been a cook during WW2. Mum tried hard to get him to write down his stories (and there were many!) so that they wouldn't be lost. We must never forget
    Lovely post
    Loves and licky kisses
    Princess Leah xxx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Stopped over from Easy's blog. :) You make a good point that many today do not really understand the sacrifice of war. I have had the privilege to know a USS Arizona survivor. He did not talk about the Pearl Harbor attack much, but his wife shared what she knew and the true hardships that her family endured during WWII.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A lovely tribute to all those who have served and those who are currently serving our respective countries. May we never forget the sacrifices of so many.

    ReplyDelete
  5. We too have a proud military history in our family - Mom's dad was Army, Dad's Dad was Army, Dad was in the Navy and now Dad's nephew is in the air force. Our Dad's Dad was one of the guys who was in the missile silos with his finger on the button - the years of working there and the stress had a huge impact on him mentally - people sadly forget that veterans don't have to be in actual war zones to also suffer PTSD

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for reminding us of the horrors of war and the great sacrifices made by our brave soldiers. Today we salute all veterans fighting for world peace and those who have fought for us in past wars.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a wonderful world it would be if we all could learn to live in peace and no one would have to experience the horror of war again.
    Thanks for being a friend
    Sweet William The Scot

    ReplyDelete
  8. We salute soldiers everywhere!
    Hailey your guy is wearing a uniform today!! Don't faint
    Hugs madi your bfff

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you for such a wonderful post about your family. We think future generations are not going to understand how great these men and women truly were!
    oxox
    Daisy

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thoughtful post, thanks. Should anyone be in doubt about how terrifying the gas attacks in the WW1 trenches were, I recommend reading 'A Long, Long Way" by Sebastian Barry, which contains a fictional but overwhelmingly powerful account of such an attack. My Dad was a WW2 RAF pilot who saw active service in N Africa, Italy and Scotland. Not only did he almost never speak of the experience, but also he refused to allow us to watch war movies when we were kids. It really was a taboo subject. In very old age, he started to open up a bit about his wartime service, and I do treasure the few things he did tell me before he died.
    Cheers, Gail.

    ReplyDelete
  11. My father was a veteran who served during wartime. I put out a flag this morning, but am feeling guilty that I didn't attend the annual ceremony at the cemetary.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a wonderful reminder to always carry what we have learned in the past...into the future.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Yes, yes, yes. Thank you.

    Tootsie

    ReplyDelete
  14. It is important to listen to our veterans so that we can never forget the sacrifices they have made for our freedom. ♥

    ReplyDelete
  15. hari om
    Hailey - red is your colour! my cousin is en ex-RAF fighter pilot/navigator and served during Desert Storm... PTSD has crippled him since. We must always remember the consequences of war. Blessings YAMxx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great post! Thank you to all who serve! <3

    ReplyDelete
  17. Nicely put, We remember all who served,

    Wyatt and Family

    ReplyDelete
  18. Bless your family for their service. We agree...these things need to not be forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Happy Veterans Day! We ♥ our veterans!

    ReplyDelete
  20. We pause with you and remember the service people.. never to be forgotten!
    love
    tweedles

    ReplyDelete
  21. You make a very important point, about "the rest of us" being able to stay removed from recent wars. I do know two veterans of more recent wars but neither talks about the details. However, one still has serious health problems from chemicals he was exposed to. Thank you for keeping those important memories alive.

    ReplyDelete
  22. An excellent blog. The veterans we know did not share stories. Unfortunately they are no longer with them. A salute to them all

    ReplyDelete
  23. An excellent blog. The veterans we know did not share stories. Unfortunately they are no longer with them. A salute to them all

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wonderful post. All three of my Great-Grandfather's served (one was killed). Both my Grandfathers served. My Dad's Dad was a POW and was presumed dead. I have many uncles, aunts and cousins that also served as well as many friends now. It is amazing how, as you say, people are less impacted because they are less directly impacted. We need to remember, honor and help our Veterans, they deserve it!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for sharing, love the post and the adorable picture of Hailey!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Such a heart felt tribute.
    #WeRemember
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading and leaving us a comment. We love your comments!