Honour those who gave...

Remembrance.

.................. "It's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' 'Chuck him out, the brute!'
But it's 'Saviour of 'is country' when the guns begin to shoot.".....................

I think politicians should be forced to read Wilfred Owen before they move flags on their maps and track oil fields and tell us it's for the good of the country :-

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.

No apologies for quoting in full

It really does make you stop and think. Each year we remember those who gave their lives on Remembrance Day, Veteran's Day or what ever the 11th of November is called where you live. But as this points out those who made it home and those who are still serving their countries also made and are making a huge sacrifice too. My grandfather served in WW2 and my father in law served in Korea, both of them suffered greatly from the things they witnessed.

To all of you who have served, or are currently serving your country Thank You

Proud to have served and prouder of those who served before and after me. A heart felt salute to all. Thanks for posting this thread Rik.

My Grandfather got Mustard gas in WWI along with shell shock. I remember him talking about using a machine gun in he beet fields.

I trained near a school where they doing river boat training in the 60's . They drank like everyday was their last.

In the later days I worked with someone who had been on the boats. It deffinitely affected him.

I was in Subs. We only lost a few people in drydock, and the captain at sea.

Rich

A timely remembrance, Rik.

A very special thank you to all those who served their country that make freedom possible. I appreciate all the sacrifices that were made for us.

Paul

Attachment 85215

That's a great drawing, Paul.
It says a lot.