It's NOT a long weekend it's ANZAC DAY - LEST WE FORGET!!!

[artme]

Bobble your contributions always bring in some interesting, and often unknown points.

I think your point about Kokoda is absolutely correct and this is a point of view that
is gaining more currency. Let us hope it will be given due recognition, just as the battle of
Long Tan has been given recognition for the Viet Nam vets.

Yes, Gallipoli was a bloody disaster in every respect but the point of Anzac Day, I feel, is to
remember sacrifices in all wars. The fact that Anzac Day was the first of these commenorative
services gives it such a lot of clout in its primacy, but this should not diminish the thought of
other events. This also seems to be an attitude that is gaining clarity.

War is a dirty business and the sorts of brutality you mention often go unnoticed in the greater picture.
The culpability of politicians and military leaders is never really investigated thoroughly and certainly no
politician is ever brought to account for their actions. Some might say the ballot box does that, but is
that enough??

Crazy things happen in war. My Gallipoli grandather had to change his name before enlisting. His name was
was Peter Wilhelm Lehn and his father was Danish. The Wilhelm was changed to William for pretty obvious reasons!

My father's mother had been widowed a number of years before marrying one Vince Furst, an Austrian. Vince had
jumped ship somewhere along the Cape and eventually ended up in the Kyogle area where he worked in the timber
game alongside my father and his brothers. Vince was a well known and vociferous Hitler hater but at the outbreak of
WW2 he still hadn't become a naturalized citizen. On that account my grandmother was told to either divorce Vince or be
treated as an enemy alien and have her citizenship stripped from her!! Grandma refused to "do that to poor Vince": and had
her citizenship stripped. It was in the early 50s that Grandma had to go through a naturalization ceremony to regain her
citizenship! All this despite having five enlisted sons!!

Yes, war has strange consequences for the innocent and terrible consequences for those involved. There seem to be no answers
for our continued stupidity just as there will never be any finality in this debate about commemoration and remembrance. I see this
as healthy as it keeps our thoughts in the right place.

[BobL]

Yes, war has strange consequences for the innocent and terrible consequences for those involved. There seem to be no answers
for our continued stupidity just as there will never be any finality in this debate about commemoration and remembrance. I see this
as healthy as it keeps our thoughts in the right place.

Good Point.

Interesting story about your grandma - so many people got caught up like that.

In the last 3-4 years I have read /listened to a bunch of stuff about WWI/II

The following were free audio books from librivox on WWI.
aeroplanes and dirigibles
high_adventure_mv_
How I filmed_WWI
Journal impressions belgium
sword of deborah
uboathunter
canadas_hundred_days

Other books include
1914, Sandakan, Kokoda, Hiroshima, and Vietnam by Paul Ham
Biography of Monash - the best rated german general on the Western Front.
Biography of Charles Bean
The Regeneration Trilogy, and Life Class by Pat Barker.
The Korean War, Nemisis battle for Japan, Warriors, Battle for the Falklands, Das Reich, by Max Hastings
Flak, and Fly by Michael Veitch
Tobruk, Gallipoli, Kokoda and Fromelles and Pozières: In the trenches of Hell by Peter Firzsimons

And the top of the pile which I just finished last week
To Hell and back - European history from 1914 to 1949 , a 24+ hour audio book - quite dry but serious gap filling detail especially about what happened on the Eastern fronts of WWI/II

In the past I have also read many books on various battles and war stories; Stalingrad, Berlin, Sicily, Gallipoli, Palestine, Greece campaign, Russian fronts, Burma, Changi, The Burma railway, Afghanistan.

With every book I read my estimation of the blokes and women who slogged it out in these theatres just keeps on increasing and just never seems to stop.

[q9]

Imma let you finish...

Terribly awesome sentiments, and it is great so many feel so strongly.

BUT

Our war veterans don't just belong in the past. We have plenty going on right now. ANZAC is the tradition, but it is alive. It breathes today.

So what's my point? Well, my family has had someone in every generation serve since the Boer War. My brother served, and did 2 years in Cambodia. So we "get" this. Recently my brother has started some work with Legacy Victoria, and they need you. We still have families being devastated and affected RIGHT NOW through our deployments overseas. Legacy does, because the government doesn't.

https://www.legacy.com.au/donate

[q9]

...and yes my grandfather would be turning in his grave if he knew I was in Japan with the "bloody nips!"

[Bob38S]

...and yes my grandfather would be turning in his grave if he knew I was in Japan with the "bloody nips!"

Can understand what would be your grandfather's sentiments but then was then and now is now. It wasn't you and it wasn't them. You appear to have dealt with it and moved on, I can fully appreciate this as my family was in occupied Holland and have also moved on.

History is is what it is and can't be changed, nor should it be forgotten but likewise we can't live in the past and perpetuate history's mistakes.

[crowie]

I visited Terrigal's Special ANZAC Memorial yesterday...

The sun will rise over the top of the hill on this poppy garden...

A labour of love and respect!

Too many lost, in too many wars and conflicts...We Will Remember Them..






And something else to think upon...

Australia has something like 3000 homeless ex-service personnel in out towns & cities....

[artme]

Unfortunately tommorow will be one of the few times, through circumstances beyond my control, that I will miss
attending an ANZAC service of any sort.

As I have an extremely bad head cold - only the second in 10 years - I have not slept well and will not be attending the Dawn service
because Ana's sister and her husband are here in Australia from Brazil and we have to drive to Bris to pick them up. I will of course try
to explain the day to them.