Just wondering what everyone's thoughts are after the comments of Gen. Sir Nick Carter: https://www.forces.net/news/young-people-do-not-understand-notion-service-says-military-chief Whilst I agree with some of them, I think that he has a detached point of view on others. Happy to have a discussion, both for and against!
I feel the poll is missing an option: It's important remember the people who gave their lives lest we repeat the mistakes of the past. IDK who said it but one thing sticks in my mind when it comes to wars and the sorrow that comes from the inevitable loss of life: Old men start wars, young men die in them. So to me remembrance means we (collectively) failed and the cost of our failure are real people, real families, and real lives. On remembrance day my overwhelming feeling is that of sorrow, sorrow that it came to that.
I agree that it's important to remember what and why things happened in the past, but. I'm not particularly observant of remembrance day. I realise that it's also meant for people lost in more current conflicts, but I take issue with the notion that any one day is the single time to consider that.
I mainly remember family on Remembrance Day. Also other more general things, like how when my Great Grandad was in WWI men he was fighting with didn't have the right to vote (he was too young anyway). Yeah, the right for some women to vote also allowed for many of those men to vote who had been getting shot at for years. Things like that getting forgotten irk me. But yeah, mainly family. My grandad fully understood why some people didn't like the day, he didn't particularly, too many bad memories for him.
Some good points above and I totally agree. What really gets my goat at the moment is people challenging others for wearing or not wearing the poppy. I was in a local petrol station the other day and the member of staff made a remark to the gentleman in front of me along the lines of "do you feel comfortable wearing that symbol?" I was pretty incensed and was about to say something but the gentleman said it all... and more for himself before leaving. I then step forward to pay for my fuel, wearing the same symbol... She was a bit sheepish. Same goes for the female newsreader on the BBC news the other day, who came under fire on social media for not wearing it whilst broadcasting. The poor girl was called every name under the sun and felt she had no other choice to justify her actions and respond, stating that "as a broadcaster, I have to be impartial but support the British Legion every year at a charity gala". Sad society we live in today and it'll get far worse before it gets better.
The old is it remembering or celebrating argument...as I'm of the opinion that it's the former i can't speak of the latter, i honestly don't understand why some people see it as a celebration as it's not like there's people throwing parties and getting out the bunting.
Absolutely. It's remembrance sunday, not celebration sunday. In any case, nobody has the right to question or chastise someone's choice to wear (or not) the poppy.
To many people have too much to say about things that they know nothing about and has nothing to do with them.
Remembrance Sunday is a day that always makes me a little emotional. So much loss of life. The least we can do is honour their ultimate sacrifice. Lest we forget.
Remembrance isn't just about the serviceman/women whose lives have been lost in front line conflict, it's as much about remembering the civilian casualties both at home and abroad - war is indiscriminate by definition, in war there are no innocents, just casualties and survivors.
I feel we should remember, in an attempt to avert making the same mistakes again. I do, however, dislike the way has been politicised and adopted as a badge of honer for certain groups.
My great uncle did not like remembrance Day - he had the misfortune to get sunk three times: twice on small attack boats and once on a destroyer which, I believe, was hit shortly after rescuing him from his first attack craft sinking! He loved to chat and was quite willing to talk about his time in service but it was always about down time - funny moments and friends. I don't recall him ever recounting his time in combat, save funny mishaps that didn't involve loss and of life or injury. He was always at his quietest on remembrance day.
My grandfathers were both exactly the same. One was in the merchant navy and sunk multiple times, the other a Major in the King's Regiment and saw combat from Normandy through to Germany - neither spoke about their time at war to their own children, not even one account. I have my Pops' Officer's release book, his swagger sticks and medals, but other than looking through his service history, I've no other information and he's a long time dead now and records are so hard to find (I've tried through official channels too).
