Happy Veterans Day

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served. I know parades are the norm, but it is pouring in Washinton today!

May all of our veterans here have a blessed day!

Thank you for having served.

We have a few veterans on this forum that I have a great deal of respect for.

Carol

Happy Veterans Day and thanks to all of you, veterans.

Best always,

Alice

Let those who died for us remain in our hearts always.

Well done, Don!! I like your tribute!

That picture is awesome, Shelagh!

Wonderful poem, Shelagh. Is there a day set aside in the UK to honor vets? We also have Memorial Day to honor the fallen defenders of the country.

The second Sunday of November is Remembrance Sunday, also known as Remembrance Day.
At 11am men, women and children all across Britain hold a two minute silence to remember the millions who have died in war.
The silence is usually observed at war memorials, cenotaphs and religious services and shopping centres throughout the country.
The Royal Family, along with top politicians and religious leaders, gather at The Cenotaph in Whitehall, London for a service.

On Armistice Day, a two-minute silence is also held at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Yesterday, three surviving members of the first world war (age 108, 110 and 112) laid poppy wreaths at the Cenotaph:

Almost a million British soldiers died in World War I

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7720601.stm

Great article, Shelagh. Thank you for sharing it with us. I would be willing to bet that the two minutes of silence is deafening! The three surviving members are an inspiration.

This was sent in by a BBC viewer:

"My father was in the cavalry and fought at the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Arras. As the troops rode on and were weary and saddle sore, they would sing "We've been in the saddle for hours and hours; we've stuck it as long as we could but we can't stick it no longer as our backsides are not made of wood" Even with all the horror of war they could still sing. As the war was drawing to a close, an aircraft flew overhead and dipped his wings. "What's he doing that for?" my father asked; the reply was "It must be the end of the war." As the barrage of gunfire filled the air my father replied "It will never end" but just after that at 11am there was silence and the war ended. My father died aged 98 but on his death bed he called out for his horse Maisie, who saved his life on many occasions.
S Wright, Bletchley "

My grandfather was in World War I, although he was over 30 at the time he volunteered. I have a picture of him in uniform and on the picture are the words, "Gulf of Mexico." I always wondered why he was by the Gulf of Mexico.

Then one day we stopped at a rest stop and I checked out the books available. There was a historical novel about World War I and Mexico. It seems that the Germans had given some of the Mexican vigilantes sums of money to cause problems over the border in Texas so the US would be distracted and not enter World War I.

Four thousand US troops were sent to the border to protect it from the Mexican vigilantes. The book was fiction, but the author did explain what was truth and what was fiction, and I finally learned why my grandfather went to the Gulf of Mexico during World War I.

Carol

For the men who did the fighting, World War I was probably the worst of them all. The horrrors of trench warfare were overwhelming. There is still an eerie silence that prevails at the Somme, where by lunchtime on the first day of the 1916 offensive the British and their allies suffered 60,000 casualties. At Verdun, the ossuary contains the bones of 150,000 unidentified men killed there. It's a sobering sight to peer through the ground level windows and see 300,000 arm bones, and so on.

Carol, my father was also on the Mexican border with the 38th Infantry Division of the Indiana National Guard. Pancho Villa had made at least one raid across the border, perhaps more.

Yesterday, Verdun hosted a sombre WWI ceremony:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7722457.stm

Dick,

My grandfather was from Illinois. I never thought to ask him about World War I. I wasn't as interested in history when he was alive.

My family visited Verdun. It was a sobering experience, especially the ossuary. When one looks through the windows at the bones, the vision is met with disbelief.

Another fascinating event during World War I was the Christmas peace, when the troops on both sides stopped fighting and sang Carols, exchanged souvenirs and even had soccer games. There is a book, Silent Night, about this.

Carol

I never raised a weapon in anger, nor self defence. I learned how to use them, and did so with conviction and passion. But I never fired a shot in battle. My old unit, however, was all over that are Shelagh; it was interesting to check out the article and the attached pics. Thanks.

Most veterans appreciate the attention given to them for their service. Those who served in time of war and saw action may have a deeper feeling than those who served during peacetime, however all who served were trained and ready to follow orders. Fighting for a worthy cause -vs- fighting a senseless war and risking one's life needlessly, is not a choice of the soldier. He/she follows orders. Those serving in the senseless war of Iraq deserve the recognition and honor for doing their duty. The fault is not that of the soldier but the commander-in-chief.

And some people write about their experiences. Check out:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/11/13/soldier.blogger/index.html

Very interesting Carol.