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Nov 11

Discussion in 'WWII Today' started by Bish OBE, Nov 11, 2001.

  1. Bish OBE

    Bish OBE Member

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    As usual, i am sat here watching the memorial service from Whitehall in London, and it got me thinking. Is this just a British commonwealth service, or do none commonwealth countries hold a service on this day. In particular i am thinking of Germany. Do you hold national services to remember your war dead. But also other allied nations from WW2, when do you hold your rememberence services, if any.
     
  2. Andreas Seidel

    Andreas Seidel Member

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    Unfortunately, the 11.11. is a day that is heavily-laden with German history. It is not only the day when WW1 ended, but also the day when the wall came down and to top it off it is also the date of the infamous "Reichspogromnacht" when anything Jewish was torched or ransacked in 1938.

    As if that wasn't enough, it's also the beginning of the carnival season.
     
  3. Stefan

    Stefan Cavalry Rupert

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    I saw most of it too, I must admit the Albert Hall ceramony was not as impressive as last year. I always find it moving to see all the vets moving past the senotaph, particularly the chelsea pensioners. Their uniforms are very elegant arent they.
     
  4. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Our vets day here in the states went well--at the bayfront at 7:00 pm, there was a hugh fireworks display which lasted just under 2 hours.

    Monday in most restaurants--vets got to eat free. Glad that they are finally starting to get due recognition that they ALL deserve, no matter where they come from.
     
  5. Smoke286

    Smoke286 Member

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    My daughter is a sea cadet, as a result this year as every year she marched in the Remembrance parade, but this year as the veterns passed by, the crowds applauded them. While I think this is only fitting, It must be bitter sweet for the veterns, as how can they help but wonder why this did not always happen.
     
  6. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Right, and sadly, the same thing happens here as well.
     
  7. Bish OBE

    Bish OBE Member

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    That is sad, and as a service man, i hope i get treated better when i am old and grey. But we should be gratful that our vets do not get the treatment that German vets get.
     
  8. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    [​IMG] Bish, let me be one of the first to say "I tip my hat to ALL of you veterans" [​IMG]

    You can say that again. Most of the German vets I know (99.99% being ww2 vets :D that for the most part, most of them have few or little complaints. Im glad they at least SOME of them, are starting to be recognized by SOME Germans.

    I would think it an insult that if I were a German Vet, that I would be thought of more by people from other countries instead of people from my own country.

    [ 15 November 2001: Message edited by: C.Evans ]
     
  9. Bish OBE

    Bish OBE Member

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    Thanks, though i am not a vet yet, though at timed i feel old enough. ;)

    There was a thread on onwar a couple of months ago concerning some German vets who were attacked by youths during a memorial service. Don't know if you heard abot this. I think it happened in August.
     
  10. Andreas Seidel

    Andreas Seidel Member

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    <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bish:

    There was a thread on onwar a couple of months ago concerning some German vets who were attacked by youths during a memorial service. Don't know if you heard abot this. I think it happened in August.
    <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

    That's not all... all soldiers in the German army are "sworn in" in a public ceremony, and these are frequently disrupted by anarchists or people that call themselves "leftists" or "socialists" without knowing the meaning of the word. I took part in two such ceremonies in the fortress Ehrenbreitstein, once my one, and then - which was much more interesting - as part of the whole support structure. I was a torch bearer, indeed I had the fabulous job of being the "first" person to go anywhere. All eyes on me, I had problems not to laught several times. Anyway, the point was that apart from a brigade's worth of Feldjäger, we created our own anti-disruption unit, about 20 combat engineers armed to the teeth. I really would have loved to see some hippies try something.

    [ 16 November 2001: Message edited by: Andreas Seidel ]
     
  11. Bish OBE

    Bish OBE Member

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    And i thought we were treated bad. Normally, we are nothing but scum and trouble makers always out l;ooking for a fight. Exept at times like now of course when all of a sudden we are all heroes. At least there are some civvies, like those on this sight, who appreciate what we do. But sometimes, i do wounder why we bother. Are most of them really worth dyeing for? :(
     
  12. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Bish--quite welcome.

    Andreas, Bish: Had the Engineers being armed to the teeth, had to pull a "Kent State" during one of those functions--being how these hippies are, would probably have created more troubles had they had to bash a few hippie/leftist/coward/commie skulls in, would have most likely been turned around on the goverment as happened at Kent State University here in the USA back during the Vietnam war.

    If your nor familiar with this incident (I was just a few years old at the time myself) there was trouble started by students who were attending Kent State UNiversity.

    THEY started the trouble when THEY decided to hold a protest rally against the Vietnam War and against the universities R.O.T.C. (Reserve Officers Training Corps)

    Some hothead punk hippie trash, decided to burn the R.O.T.C. Building. The state Governer, was forced to call in some National Guard Troops to quell the situation.

    The Campus Police force was overwhealmed, and some were injured. As they were vastly outnumbered, this is why the Natl Guard were called in.

    OK, the Natl Guard showe up, so the hippie protesters get even more out of hand at the sight of these men in uniform. They start throwing rocks, bottles and even Molotov Cocktails.

    The Natl Guard formed a line and started to advance. Somewhere or other, firing broke out--its thought to have been from a student who took a weapon from the armory, of from one of the campus police officers. I dont iknow this is fact or not but could be a possibility.

    Anyway, a few of the Natl Guard opened fire and wound up killing I think 4 hippies/students.

    So the leftist trash promoted this as an atrocity--a holocost, that 4 demonstrators were killed. Sad that someone died--yes, but, I think had someone fired at me, or threw a Molotov Cocktail at me, I would have been also considering firing back and might have if I felt my safety and the safety of my comrades had been in dire straits.

    I remember seeing the news footage when it happened, tho I was young, I did understand what happened and do remember siding with the National Guard for its action.

    I totally hated growing up in that time of American history, as I hated hippie punks and still do.

    Berkley--Haight-Asbury :mad:
     

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