I never fought in a war, any war, though I have lived during war times. Actually, I cannot remember a time when our world did not have a war being fought somewhere.
I am fortunate I was never at the right age for enlistment, recruitment, or the draft to fight in a war.
However, I have benefitted from the battles so many others have fought. I live in a country with freedoms and constitutional guarantees for which others fought. Saying I am appreciative, seems mundane, maybe even bordering on patronage but I am sincere when I say I appreciate what those men and women did.
When I see wreaths laid at cenotaphs or hear ‘Taps’ played at Remembrance Day ceremonies, I am moved, sometimes very near to tears. I think about all those veterans who sacrificed their lives so that we could live the way we do. They gave so much. What can I do?
At 11 am, that day, I will stand wherever I am, nod my head and pause a moment to remember. There is nothing else I can do actually. I cannot console the families who lost loved ones in wars. I don’t know them. I cannot visit a cemetery to pay homage to a vet lying there. Veterans are not usually identified that way on their tombstones.
However, I can do the next best thing, in my eyes. Buy a poppy.
Poppies remind me of all the veterans, those killed, those passed, and those who still live with us. Each of them has sacrificed on my behalf. I can only imagine the sacrifice endured by the vets who are still with us. Undoubtedly, many, if not every one of them suffers from their combat experience. Some form of PTSD, some lasting effect from that military experience. So, I buy and wear poppies.
I buy more than one poppy. I tend to lose them in the house, in the car, or even as I give mine away. I am not bothered by added donations for replacement poppies. I like to think that each donation is a small token of appreciation to the veterans whom we are remembering and honouring.
Thank you soldier!
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EDITORIAL: REMEMBRANCE DAY
I never fought in a war, any war, though I have lived during war times. Actually, I cannot remember a time when our world did not have a war being fought somewhere.
I am fortunate I was never at the right age for enlistment, recruitment, or the draft to fight in a war.
However, I have benefitted from the battles so many others have fought. I live in a country with freedoms and constitutional guarantees for which others fought. Saying I am appreciative, seems mundane, maybe even bordering on patronage but I am sincere when I say I appreciate what those men and women did.
When I see wreaths laid at cenotaphs or hear ‘Taps’ played at Remembrance Day ceremonies, I am moved, sometimes very near to tears. I think about all those veterans who sacrificed their lives so that we could live the way we do. They gave so much. What can I do?
At 11 am, that day, I will stand wherever I am, nod my head and pause a moment to remember. There is nothing else I can do actually. I cannot console the families who lost loved ones in wars. I don’t know them. I cannot visit a cemetery to pay homage to a vet lying there. Veterans are not usually identified that way on their tombstones.
However, I can do the next best thing, in my eyes. Buy a poppy.
Poppies remind me of all the veterans, those killed, those passed, and those who still live with us. Each of them has sacrificed on my behalf. I can only imagine the sacrifice endured by the vets who are still with us. Undoubtedly, many, if not every one of them suffers from their combat experience. Some form of PTSD, some lasting effect from that military experience. So, I buy and wear poppies.
I buy more than one poppy. I tend to lose them in the house, in the car, or even as I give mine away. I am not bothered by added donations for replacement poppies. I like to think that each donation is a small token of appreciation to the veterans whom we are remembering and honouring.
Thank you soldier!
Related