Mika4Life13 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Today's remembrance day, and I figured it deserves a thread to itsself because it is so important to my daily life. I'm not sure which countries celebrate this, but remembrance day is a day to celebrate the lives of soldiers, and their selflessness. The fact that people risk their lives everyday just so we can have freedom and peace, is just incredible, and I know my country has a great peace mission, and I am just so proud that every year I can wear a poppy and tell veterans how thankful I am for their contributions to my freedom. Both of my grandparents fought in world war II , and survived, and I'm so proud that I have that sort of thing in my blood, because it lets me know that without our veterans where would we be today? I also happen to be related to John Mccrae who wrote the famous poem; In Flanders Fields. In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. xoxo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayler Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I'm glad you made this thread... it shows that people still care... we had a silence today and read the exact same poem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Simpson Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Yes it's remembrance day here too- and I've already quoted John McCrae in the Goldlings- http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2638595&postcount=3000 Fancy him being your relative! We really shouldn't forget Though the Dutchies remember on 4 May at 8pm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mika4Life13 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 Yes it's remembrance day here too- and I've already quoted John McCrae in the Goldlings- http://www.mikafanclub.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2638595&postcount=3000 Fancy him being your relative! We really shouldn't forget Though the Dutchies remember on 4 May at 8pm He's my maternal grandpa's dad's sister's something... The poem is on our $10 bill, here in Canada.. Can't tell you how many times I have had to recite it infront of my class... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lollipop_monkey Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 My paternal grandfather was serving in Amsterdam when Canadian forces helped liberate Holland from German occupation. It's a warm thought to think he played a role in ending a situation that was brutal on the Dutch people, with families starving. He also apparently had a Dutch girlfriend. So maybe I have cousins over there I don't know about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mika4Life13 Posted November 11, 2009 Author Share Posted November 11, 2009 My paternal grandfather was serving in Amsterdam when Canadian forces helped liberate Holland from German occupation. It's a warm thought to think he played a role in ending a situation that was brutal on the Dutch people, with families starving. He also apparently had a Dutch girlfriend. So maybe I have cousins over there I don't know about. That's wonderful! Little dutch manas, that's awesome. My paternal grandpa was in the army, maternal grandpa was in the navy, so they'd always be like *ultimate showdown* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soaring Simpson Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 None of my family were in the war- they were all steelworkers or shipbuilders. Dad went to Turkey to buy steel then had to come home via South Africa! Incidentally, where is Dilek these days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riverstwilight Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 In the states, we call it Veteran's Day, but it's still intended to be a day of remembering the sacrifices people made. Both of my parents were veterans of the conflict in Vietnam. Neither of them died there, but my dad left his life there. He got a medical discharge because of a knee that needed to be fused, but it was his mind that was broken. He loved his life on the ship. He had a purpose and a place in the world. He could never find that in civilian life and moved us around every six to nine months in his search for it. He suffered post traumatic stress disorder and self-medicated with his gambling addiction. We were homeless a few times because of it. We often went without food and had to wear our clothes until we outgrew them to the point that we split the seams, which always happened when I was at school. Once in awhile, he would come back to himself and I would get to find out who he could have been if he hadn't been broken by the war. That's the person I am most like. He had a goofy sense of humor and a sharp mind. He loved people more than he knew how to express and was generous to a fault. Like my dad, I have post traumatic stress disorder. Unlike my dad, I have been able to find healthy ways to cope with it and am finding places in the world where I have purpose. I carry the best of him with me. I saw him leave the world on November 5, 1997. We were in the middle of an argument and he just stopped. He stopped speaking and stopped being in his body. He left mid-sentence. In the states, the iconic image of self-sacrifice is rows of headstones in a graveyard. When I think about self-sacrifice, I think of the people who are damaged and discarded before they die, the ones who lead ghost lives of pain and fear until their bodies finally give up holding them here. My dad was never completely alone. No matter where we lived, there were always other broken veterans for him to talk to. Often, they were homeless. The help that was available to them was worse than their pain. Often their brokeness went too deep to be fixed with a shower, a meal, and a warm bed. That never stopped my dad from trying to help them. There were very few times in my life that our house was not a home for a homeless veteran. I am still dirt poor, but I still give money to homeless people if I have cash on me because I know that their stories are never as simple as people think. I know that the act of kindness means more than whatever the money gets used for. I say a prayer for them and move on because it's all I can do right now. When I can do more by supporting programs to help people, I do whatever I can to support those programs. I remember the veterans who died and mourn the losses suffered by their families. I do what I can to honor the veterans who lived because their losses are no less significant. My mom is still carrying her scars from the war, though she was never in combat, it cost her everything too. I hope that she stops being busy long enough for me to spend some time with her today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mika4Life13 Posted November 12, 2009 Author Share Posted November 12, 2009 It's almost over, just want to say thanks again to the soldiers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
findingmywords Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Thank You to the soldiers. Am very thankful for what they've done and continue to do. I have them in my heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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