Lest we forget.

Rob Keeble

Member
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Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Well i cannot say Happy Memorial Day because i think it should be a somber occasion.

Nothing quite like the rows of headstones to remind us all.

Spare a moment to be great full and thankful for all those who serve and especially those who passed doing it.

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Certainly is the day to remember all those who make our life possible in this country. We would honor them even more if we worked harder at getting along with each other. Peace seems to be harder than war for some reason.
 
Maybe I am a stick in the mud, or maybe I am just too much of a traditionalist or something. Memorial Day to me is supposed to be a day or remembrance and reflection for our fallen in service to this country. But instead what do I see for the biggest part? People who just can't wait to have an excuse to get a bunch of beer and so on so they can go have a big party, get drunk, and not even think of what the day really is. Sorry, but to me it's rather disgusting. Too many Americans take everything for granted. But, maybe it's just me. And, if it is just me then this old gundog apologizes.
 
Maybe I am a stick in the mud, or maybe I am just too much of a traditionalist or something. Memorial Day to me is supposed to be a day or remembrance and reflection for our fallen in service to this country. But instead what do I see for the biggest part? People who just can't wait to have an excuse to get a bunch of beer and so on so they can go have a big party, get drunk, and not even think of what the day really is. Sorry, but to me it's rather disgusting. Too many Americans take everything for granted. But, maybe it's just me. And, if it is just me then this old gundog apologizes.

I Agree with you, Dave. What was supposed to be a day of reflection and respect has turned into just another excuse for a party.

Too many of my friends and former associates paid the ultimate price.
 
I am more philosophical these days about this kind of thing.
i think its something individuals have to work through but too few give any issues other than themselves much thought.

i recall my first visit to a German concentration camp. .Man i was only 19 or so and had just come out the army and it disturbed me. Part of me could not fathom how one human inflicted such suffering on another.

Then around 10 years later i visited Auschwitz and i have yet to get over that visit.

i remember wrestling with myself over whether i felt it was appropriate to bring kids at around 15 to visit the site which is what Israeli schools were doing. I went from pillar to post in my thoughts.

Then i witnessed what had been going on in my own country under my nose via the "truth and reconciliation commission" held in SA after a change of power and that sorted me out.

I concluded its in our make up to be seriously nasty critters.

So when one I accepted that (dont like it but the evidence is all around us) then if you never played a part in realising how nasty we can be. Mostly those who get to serve in some way shape or form get to see it, those who do never forget those that either have to guard us from it always or those we lost in the past guarding us from others nasty behaviour.
Robert McNamara had a way of saying this in his interview during the documentary made about his time.
He said something to the effect of ... Sometimes in order to do good, one had to engage in doing evil.
well i dunno about that but dropping a nuke on Japan was a little like that analogy.

Its not suprising to me that humanity does not remember the vetrans and serving members, too few serve with a volunteer force in most parts of the world these days so too few are touched by the consequences and seeing war on tv is like the abstractness of a video game, until you personally come face to face with it.

So one might forgive those that know no better.
Lets rather hope we can keep conflicts to the level they have been since 1945.

thats my two cents.



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I agree Dave. The long weekend has created a whole new meaning for many folks. I still observe at a proper ceremony on our county square. When Taps is played it still grabs the gut.
 
Yeah, Frank. Taps does get to you. When I hear the National Anthem done right, I get tears in the eyes. Not the way these so called famous entertainers at football games and such butcher it, but played or sung like it's supposed to be.
 
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