We Will Remember Them

Résumé détaillé

I will pause for a minute’s reflection and remembrance at 11am today. I would encourage you to do the same. The post We Will Remember Them appeared first on The Motley Fool…

For Australians (and New Zealanders), April 25 – ANZAC Day – is our pre-eminent day of commemoration. It is then that our nations stop and reflect on those who have served our countries in war and war-like conflicts, particularly those who have made the supreme sacrifice.

It is, of course, the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the beaches of Gallipoli, and was our first day of national remembrance, with the inaugural ceremony held in 1916, even as conflict raged in Europe.

Those guns finally fell silent at 11am on November 11, 1918, when an armistice came into effect, essentially ending what was then called The Great War.

November 11 became known as Armistice Day and the Allied commemorations were held at 11am on that day, each year. Following World War II, Armistice Day was formally renamed Remembrance Day (and is known as Veterans Day in the US).

Remembrance – an act, not just a recollection – is a duty. It compels us to remember, and commemorate, the selfless service of our military personnel, who served (and serve) in our country's name.

And today, that remembrance is extended to the military personnel of our wartime Allies, as well.

Importantly, commemoration is not a celebration, nor glorification, of war. It is not a time for chest-beating or jingoism.

If you've attended a Remembrance Day service, you'll know that it is a solemn occasion, when thoughts turn to those who served, and particularly those who died in their nation's service.

Two poems are often recited at these services; one stanza of one of them became known as the Ode of Remembrance.

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