In memory of those who gave their lives for their countries.

[FuelPump]

At 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the guns which had been firing almost continuously from 1914 fell silent, marking the end of the largest and bloodiest conflict the world had ever seen.

The optomistically titled "War to end all wars", or "Great War" which later became known as World War 1 was over.

Some of the countries in existence before the war dissapeared forever, and other countries were born from the ashes.

A whole generation of men had been fed through the meatmincer at places that most people hadn't even heard of, and very few came out the other end. Many of the survivors were never the same again, and a new "sickness" - shell shock (now known as "post traumatic stress disorder") became widespread. The maimed and wounded were everywhere.

There had been many amazing feats of courage under fire, under the harshest of conditions. There had also been stupendous mismanagement by High Commands who seemed to care little for the value of human life.

Victories were often measured in yards gained at the cost of tens of thousands.

The war brought together people from all over the world. Africans and Asians fought on a continent far from home. Australians fought alongside British and French. The U.S. sent troops and equipment. No one continent was spared the cream of their youth in the pursuit of some barely understood political ideal. Many people who had no quarrels with each other were supplied with rifles, bayonets, artillery and machine guns to kill each other.

There are not many survivors of this conflict left alive after 87 years. It's up to us to remember the sacrifices of the many who fought and died for their countries. Also to remember that the benefits of sending our troops to fight and possibly die should be weighed up against the tragic cost.

On this day 87 years after the last shots were fired, in memory of the generation of soldiers who were left scattered all over Europe and other parts of the world, we should never forget.

Armistice Day, November 11th 2005.

[Duke2]

Yeah Fuel ----- As time goes by we soon forget. Meaby on one condition thats a good thing. Their is a saying. ( Time heals all wounds. But it is good to rember where we came from, and what sacrafices those before us made. Liberty truly isn'y cheap.

Have a Happy

[FuelPump]

It just bugs me that people forget this stuff. I guess over time it's natural to forget.
When I was in school the whole country would stop at 11am to observe 1 minute of silence, but that doesn't really happen much any more now that most of our veterans of that war have died. In Australia there is only one man still living who enlisted for WW1, and by the time he joined, the war had finished. Everyone else has passed away.
Anyway, I just felt like writing something.

[mevan]

My 7 yr old came home from school last week with a poem call "Peace" she had to learn for the Ceremony they had at school yesterday. Today is a Provincial Holiday which is great.

In total it looks like her Grade 2 class has spend about 6 hrs in the last week learning and discussing these topics. I am so proud of our School for not forgetting to teach this and how important it is.

3 nights ago when she was able to receit this poem start to finish, I have to admit that the Old "Vanstone" curse got me and I found myself in tears. This of coarse upset her and we had a family discussion on all of her relatives that where killed in WWI and WWII. Other conflicts and the fact that there are still Canadain Soldiers Fighting for "Peace" all around the world.

"But I dont understand why people kill other people Dad". Oh man try explaining that to a 7 year old.

She is spending the day with Grama as both Colleen and Myself work. (She is up on the ward and I down in the EMS Garage as I type this). Mom is going to bring out all of the relatives Metals that she has and go through the photo album with her today.

I can only hope that every takes some time today to talk to a Vet, a child or just a good friend about the importance of not forgeting.

[Cono]

you should visit the Belgian town of Ypres (Ieper). That town is literally covered in WWI cemetaries. I visited it while I was living in the Netherlands and the experience was haunting and heartbreaking. They have a "taps" ceremony I believe every evening with a bugler and some additional special events on November 11th.

While I was visiting some cemetaries there, I noticed some British tombstones that were desecrated. I took some pictures with my digital camera and when I returned home from my visit, I emailed the British equivalent of the War Graves Commission informing them. They emailed me back thanking me for making such an effort and that they would resolve the issue quickly. Since I passed the area at least once a month, I decided to go back and follow up the next month. The tombstones had been replaced. I was very glad to see that the British government was on top of things and had replaced them.


Cono

[FuelPump]

I've heard that farmers all over France, Belgium etc. are still digging up shells, shell fragments, bones, old trenches.

Here's a poem by Wilfred Owen who died during the war. We studied it at school.

Anthem for Doomed Youth
What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
-Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,-
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.


What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.

[Cono]

They are still finding stuff over there from both wars as well as some other wars, I'm sure.

While I was living over there, I read in the news that they had recovered 2 American soldiers remains from WWII just south of Aachen in the Hurtgen forest region where the 69th and 29th Infantry divisions fought. One soldier ended up being buried in the American cemetary just west of Aachen in Belgium and the other was returned home. I also heard that a Dutch farmer was clearing some property for farming and found a downed Bf109 or Fw190.

I had always thought about getting a metal detector while I was over there to see if I could ever find anything since I was always visiting battlefields. When I visited the American cemetary at Nomandy, I did find a piece of metal in the bluff area between the cemetary and the beach. I don't know if it pertained to WWII but I kept it.



Cono

[Ithica]

If you go to Verdun today, you will still find many artillery shells, bullet casings, bones, etc. I can't imagine fighting in a battle where 500,000 men lost their lives. My great grandpa lost a lung in WWI.