ANZAC day

[vilakins]

I should acknowledge that it's ANZAC day here. ANZAC stands for the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps from WW1, but we remember all our war dead on this day.

We lost more people per head of population in both world wars than any other nation did.

Comments

[kalinda001.livejournal.com]

We lost more people per head of population in both world wars than any other nation did.
Oh. I didn't know that. It is important to remember those who died for us.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Not many people overseas do know that. I'm not sure why it was so: the adventurousness of pioneers perhaps? The losses had a huge effect on our history and culture.

[vjezkova.livejournal.com]

It is good for us all to remember the event, thanks!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I hope nothing like it happens again.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

Join the army and see the world would have been part of the reason. You have said yourself, you are a long way from anywhere and the Army or Navy was one way of seeing the world with out having to spend a fortune. And we have been rather lax in acknowleding those of the Empire/Commonwealth who came to Britain's aid in two World Wars. It wasn't until I was in my 30s that I realised that there were regiments from the British Indian Army fighting in the trenches of WWI

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

I'm not really surprised; they don't care much for us in the UK.

[linda-joyce.livejournal.com]

No not now and probably never except as a resource for both people and goods for advantage of the 'motherland'.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Not even that sadly. They don't buy much from us; we're third world to Europe.

[sallymn.livejournal.com]

I watched the local march (both here and - by TV - the nearby towns), there's a simple sweetness about the emotions there, but I avoided any report on the big ones, where the politicians can't really help but use it...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

The news coverage wasn't bad here; they talked to a 100-year-old about El Alamein and losing his friends there.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

I left Australia on Anzac day, something I didn't realize I was going to be doing until I got there. I have to say, I'm surprised and impressed by how seriously the entire country (and NZ as well, I can only imagine) seems to take the occasion and to seriously reflect on its meaning. Here in the US, our Memorial Day isn't really about memorial at all any more, but rather about the onset of summer and an excuse for a barbecue, and Veteran's Day is more or less ignored by many.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Even though our veterans are dying out, attendance at dawn parades and remembrance services is actually growing.

[astrogirl2.livejournal.com]

Our tour guide (who was younger than I am) got up at 4AM to go to a dawn service before seeing us off on our plane, saying her friends would never forgive her if they found out she was in Sydney and didn't go. I have trouble imagining most Americans that age saying something like that.

I found the Australians' attitude very moving, especially compared with Americans' typical sloganeering lip-service about respect for the military and its veterans and war dead.