A day to remember

On Armistice Day/Remembrance Day/Veterans', make you you take a few moments to reflect on the courage and sacrifice of those men and women who have served in our wars, and especially those who died... but also upon the stupidity of the human race that has caused the wars that they had to fight and die in. Maybe it should be more than a few minutes.

That's true, but also remember the other side of the story. For many of us it wasn't such a great sacrifice. I remember my military years fondly. Also, I received some very valuable schooling that formed the basis of my later career. There are many reasons why a young person might want to join the military.

Still, one never knows. On this day I always remember my military schoolmate Richard, who received the orders that could just as easily have been issued to me...to the USS Scorpion.

It's worth stressing that Remembrance Day over in the UK is not just a veterans' day, but for all casualties of war - for example to vast numbers of civilians killed in the Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, various African wars.

It's also worth reflecting that warmongers are not necessarily stupid. If you accept their basic premises and view of human nature and what matters, then their actions can be well-calculated risk. So the problem is deeper than stupidity.

Maybe I should also stress that Generals and politicians are not necessarily uncaring. Some people go sorrowfully to war.

I'm proud to have served. My reasons were to get that schooling I couldn't afford otherwise. It got me 35 years of Federal Law Enforcement and a great retirement. As Rick says, now we need to work on the stupidity and work harder for peace.

Does any other country sell the poppies for Remembrance Day? We have veterans and others selling material poppies, you buy them and the money goes to a charity. You see a lot of people proudly wearing them on their lapels at this time of year.

Seegee, I remember the poppies being sold here in the USA when I was in elementary school, but now I haven't seen them in decades. I don't know if that custom survives anywhere in the USA.

"Back then" it was a half-day holiday. Just before lunch, veterans (or possibly scouts) would play taps in the school hallway. Then we somberly left for the day. Veterans were always waiting outside the school with huge batches of artificial poppies. It must have been more of a remembrance custom than an opportunity for the veterans to gain funds, because us children didn't carry more than pennies in those days. I still feel embarrassment from watching some of my fellow students (boys naturally) encircle one of the vets, grab poppies, and then run off without paying. (There is a spanking scenario for someone to make a story from)

There's a great display at the Tower of London at present. They have a sea of red ceramic poppies spilling out of the tower itself to spread over the lawn there. It was done to commemorate the 100th anniversary of WW 1. I think it was due to be completed by Remembrance Day. I'm not sure how many they intended to have, though.

The poppies at The Tower of London are amazing, I saw them last week. There are approx 880,000, one for each life lost.
Its a must see on the internet.
In memory of two of my great-uncles who died at the first battle of Ypres 1914, and The Somme 1916. The latter died on the day my father was born.

Sorry this is just getting ridiculous! I am not saying that pacifism will get you far in this world but saying warmongers are not necessarily stupid makes me think you have been at the poppy seed cake! My father fought in the Eighth army in N Africa and in Italy. He lost his two dearest friends there. He thought poppies were a poor symbol for the dreadful human suffering of war. At least you can say the Second World War was something worth fighting which is more than you can say for most wars. The trouble is we sentimentalise war and turn a blind eye to the real human cost. I don't think ceramic poppies are helping much in bringing home to people the reality of war. It is good to honour your dead but it would be better still if there weren't so many dead in the first place. As for those first world war generals: they were donkeys. So no matter how many programmes the BBC spews out on the great war it will always be lions lead by donkeys as far as I am concerned. Sorry to inject a sour note. I do always buy a poppy if anyones interested!!

I vaguely remember poppies being sold and distributed on Veteran's Day as a child, or, as my mother referred to it, "Armistice Day" (it didn't officially become "Veteran's Day" until 1954, which is also the year I was born). I think Mom used to purchase poppies and bring them home but I don't really recall buying them myself. She was a girl during WWI and has some memories of it (and was a member of the US Army Nursing Corps during WWII and served in the Pacific Theatre during that time).

No, ALL wars aren't stupid, just most of them and whether a war is "good" or "bad" (or even stupid) largely depends on the outcome. Or, to put it more honestly, whose ox is gored. WWI was a clusterfuck from the beginning, the assassination of an obscure nobleman drawing most of the European powers in through various treaties and alliances even though it was a war that no one wanted to fight. It had a profound effect on history though and many of its aftereffects would rear their ugly heads a scant twenty years later in the form of WWII and some still resonate today. It's also interesting to note, if a bit of a non-sequitur that WWI caused somewhere around 20 million deaths and the Great Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919 caused around FIFTY million worldwide in half the time and those people were just as dead and their families just as devastated (not to minimize or diminish the toll of war on humanity).

Let's remember and honor our veterans and, especially remember those who gave their lives for one cause or another, whether it was stupid or not...