Welcome to the WWII Forums! Log in or Sign up to interact with the community.

Remembrance ? FORGET IT !

Discussion in 'WWII Today' started by Martin Bull, Nov 8, 2002.

  1. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2002
    Messages:
    13,578
    Likes Received:
    1,487
    Location:
    London, England.
    Nov 11 is our 'Remembrance Day' - heard on my car radio today that Service Charities who fund-raise at this time have had poor returns.

    So the radio interview some 'young people in the street' in London, and we hear the following : -

    'Don't know anything about it'
    'Totally irrelevant in today's world'
    'Meaningless to me'
    'It's an old man's thing, innit ? All that remembrance stuff - we're a new generation. It's all in the past - forget it !'

    OK, the radio station is maybe being selective to 'make a story', but even so I found all this deeply depressing. What do you guys think ? Are we wasting our time ? Is it all 'meaningless'?

    I know what I think... :mad:
     
  2. grampas girl

    grampas girl Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2002
    Messages:
    40
    Likes Received:
    0
    By no means meaningless! I'm probably categorized into one of the "young people on the street" - being 26 I find that that mentality is too common with people my age here in the US too. It's pretty disgusting. In fact, I get quite defensively angry :mad: when I discuss it with friends who have a never-a-care attitude. Funny though, how they react when I ask if they have had or have any military people in the family (which 90 % of the people do!) and then I say, "well, their serving is completely pointless". That raises a few of their brows and gets them to thinking.

    Our Veteran's Day, is coming up on the 11th as well. Our veteran's stand out in front of our shopping places and sell paper poppy's for the veteran's medical needs. They don't let you forget. When i thanked one man last year, he started to cry. I guess that shows you how they are NOT used to getting thanked! :confused: What's wrong with my generation? USA kids (some of them!) can be real jerks. I'd like to have them accosted just one night with the nightmares some of the vets STILL have because they fought for my freedom.

    For the benefit of some, though, I will admit there are those from my generation who appreciate their vets. And, we work doubly hard to say "thanks!"

    I'll get off of my soapbox now. Your post hit sore spot with me! :(
     
  3. PzJgr

    PzJgr Drill Instructor

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2000
    Messages:
    8,386
    Likes Received:
    890
    Location:
    Jefferson, OH
    Unfortunately, all wars after WWII were not given much attention with the exception of Vietnam due to television but that was the war everybody wanted to forget. So, the latest generations have no clue as to the sacrifices made (thanks to our education system) nor the value of the freedom they now enjoy. It is sad. Even more so since more and more of the living witnesses are leaving us.
     
  4. sommecourt

    sommecourt Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2002
    Messages:
    682
    Likes Received:
    59
    Don't dispear too much Martin; as you know I work on the battlefields of WW1 and WW2. Every day I see hundreds of British schoolkids out here, as both WW1 and WW2 are part of the National Curriculum. Some will always get nothing from it, but I have seen plenty of youngsters sob their hearts out at the Last Post ceremony in Ypres... I first heard this myself when I was 14 and it made a profound effect on me; and look where I am now!

    You would be surprised just how many adults (who come on battlefield tours!) don't know the dates of WW1, when D Day was... I even once had someone who asked if the Canadian Regiment Priness Patricias Canadian Light Infantry was made up of women!!!! :eek:

    Remembrance is very much alive, potent and important - just as much as it was following the two world wars.
     
  5. Bish OBE

    Bish OBE Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2001
    Messages:
    762
    Likes Received:
    1
    Actually Martin, you have in a way asked a question i was going to put, and i think is already being answered.

    I was going to ask if you thought most cvilians thought the same way about service men as they used to.

    Rememberance day is not just to help service men from wars of the past, but also those from more recent campaigns, and also the one we may be about to embark upon. And while many young people today may or may not know that, whats worse is, they don't care.

    Soldiers have never been welcome everywhere they go, until there is a war on. Kiplngs Tommy says it all. But i think things are worse today. This is down to several things in my view.

    Firslty, in the UK at least, only a small percentage of the population have served or now someone who served. Before, we had national service and before that WW2. Also, we don't have the sense of natonal pride we used to, so those that serve their country are not looked upto. And also, wars are now seen as evil nasty things, and so are those that have to fight them.

    I'll admit smething to you all now. For the most part, i hate civvys. I don't mix with them and have as little to do with them as possible. The only exception to that is people like you guys who, in studying miliary istory, have a respect for those that served and those that do so ow. Unfortnatly, you are to few in number.
     
  6. PzJgr

    PzJgr Drill Instructor

    Joined:
    Dec 19, 2000
    Messages:
    8,386
    Likes Received:
    890
    Location:
    Jefferson, OH
    You know Bish, you have a point. When I was in the military, it did seem like I associated more with military folks than civilians. It seems our priorities and outlook on life is different. I do miss the bonding and that outlook on taking care of each other on duty and off. Now, all I see is material issues and see ya later with a disregard as to what the military man/woman goes through day in and day out.
     
  7. Bish OBE

    Bish OBE Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2001
    Messages:
    762
    Likes Received:
    1
    I guess that in the militar, you also have to take care of each other. It can be a matter of life and death. I don't know if you found it the same, but here, most civvys don't understand us. We have a warped sense of humour, talk to each other in a way that civvys would find offensive. I guess the only peoiple who come close are guys like fireman and other proffesions that are dangerous or were you spend alot of time away from home.

    I was due to get out last month but changed my mined before the time come to put my papers in. Despite all the bullshit and getting pissed about, i just could not imagine myself doing anything else.
     
  8. Panzerknacker

    Panzerknacker New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2001
    Messages:
    1,537
    Likes Received:
    6
    No way Is It meaningless-so these guys are basically taking our freedom, and our way of life for granted-good luck trying to gain support for that over here-we Aussies are very proud of our heritage-WE WILL NEVER FORGET...
     
  9. Sniper

    Sniper Member

    Joined:
    Aug 15, 2002
    Messages:
    291
    Likes Received:
    3
    panzerknacker's right about here in Oz. Perhaps it's because we have such a small population (19,000,000 or there abouts) and it was even smaller back in WW1 and WW2, that we really respect the sacrifice of all those who died in war. And it's not just the World Wars but Korea, Vietnam, and any where else an Aussie has shed blood.

    We still have a minutes silence at 11am on the 11th of November, and most Aussies know why, and show respect at that time. On Anzac Day, the 25th of April, the day we celebrate the spirit of Anzac, and the spirit of our fighting men and women, the crowds that line the streets to watch our veterans march are actually getting bigger, with more and more young people showing their appreciation for those who have fought, and died, for this country.

    In Australia, we will never forget.

    __________________

    In Flanders fields the poppies blow
    between the crosses, row on row.
    John McCree, "In Flanders Fields"
     
  10. Friedrich

    Friedrich Expert

    Joined:
    Jan 24, 2002
    Messages:
    6,548
    Likes Received:
    52
    Shame on the young ignorant people! They are forgetting something that is part of them, part of their world's history. And the world they live in is like it is because many men fought and died. In Germany's case it could be different. But the German soldiers fought for the good of their people and to protect their fatherland. Only that. The rest are just minor details. And I think that oftenly forgotten (more than British and Americans) German and Soviet soldiers should be taken more into account here.
     
  11. Bish OBE

    Bish OBE Member

    Joined:
    Aug 16, 2001
    Messages:
    762
    Likes Received:
    1
    I ften woundered how the Grmans viewed their war dead, particully from WW2. Would they view them as the buthcers of an evil regime, or as simple soldiers doing their duty.

    Three years ago on a visit to assino, our group ade points of visiting the Commonwealth and Polsh cemeteries. I ask a few qestions and found out there was a German cemetery near by and asked my sergant major if there was a chance to visit that to, to which he agreed. When we arrived, i was pleased to see several coaches of Germans, mostly in their late teens, early 20s, visiting the site. Anjd there seemed to be as mutch reverence and respect paid to these fallen as we would pay to ours.
     
  12. Martin Bull

    Martin Bull Acting Wg. Cdr

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2002
    Messages:
    13,578
    Likes Received:
    1,487
    Location:
    London, England.
    My wife has relatives in Germany and indeed, there is remembrance with sadness.

    It's striking, for instance, in Bavaria. Walk into any country churchyard ; the family graves carry photos of the dead. There seem to be endless photos of very young men in uniform who are 'missing in Russia'. Even I find it poignant to think of these young guys leaving behind the beauty of Southern Germany to perish on the Eastern Front.
     

Share This Page