Remembrance Day

[notyoueither]

More comments from the peanut gallery can be found here.

http://www.apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=181875

[SpencerH]

Just a few comments then I'll head back to my hole.

1. Since when is Remembrance Day not a national holiday in Canada? Is it one in Britain? I dont know that either since I havent lived in either country for a long time, but I suspect not. I think the trend is bull****!

2. I believe I've replied to Che's bull**** comments on this topic in previous years so I wont bother with that.

3. As a part of my remembrance of my "absent friends" I've been thinking about the difference between Remembrance Day (in a large chunk of the world) and Veterans Day here in the USA. I have to say that I prefer the quiet respect for veterans of all sides on Remembrance day rather than the fanfare and rah-rah praise of Veterans day.

4. Whats with all the damn war movies anyway? I'd like to see a whole day of veterans recounting stories. No commercials, no fanfare, just their histories as seen through their eyes, good and bad. There are similar documentaries about Medal of Honor winners etc but I think people need to see more than that.

5. I had a chance meeting with a WWII veteran near where I live in BAMA. I dont even know his name . We got to talking and swapped some war stories. He had been a light mortarman in the pacific (marine I think). He told me about a night when he had attacked a Japanese position with his mortar. In the morning he had the unusual opportunity to be able to walk up amongst the bodies and see what he had done. It was clear it still haunted him more than 50 years later. At the end of our conversation he said he had never told anyone some of the things he had told me. I remember telling him that I thought it was important that such events not be forgotten. So I keep em. That too is part of my remembrance.

[Krill]

Originally posted by Arrian
Oh, please. This isn't banworthy.

-Arrian

No it isn't, but it got Che to leave the thread quietly

[onodera]

My great grandfathers from the maternal side were not veterans, one was a railroad official in Ulan-Ude, ferrying supplies to the western USSR, the other was an attorney and was shot in 1941 by some bandits.
My great grandfathers from the paternal side fought, and fought well.
Sadly, I don't know what my ancestors did in the first WW, no one cared about peasants back then, so there are no records, and there's no one left to ask.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by SpencerH
Just a few comments then I'll head back to my hole.

1. Since when is Remembrance Day not a national holiday in Canada? Is it one in Britain? I dont know that either since I havent lived in either country for a long time, but I suspect not. I think the trend is bull****!

It is a federal holiday in Canada. However, mandated holidays for all workers are a provincial responsibility. Some provinces choose to observe Remembrance Day in that way, some don't. Federal gov't offices are closed on Remembrance Day.

[SpencerH]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


It is a federal holiday in Canada. However, mandated holidays for all workers are a provincial responsibility. Some provinces choose to observe Remembrance Day in that way, some don't. Federal gov't offices are closed on Remembrance Day.

Thanks for the clarification. Manitoba

[Asher]

Ontario too

[Wezil]

It was a holiday in Ontario years ago. I don't remember when it changed.

A positive of it not being a holiday anymore is that kids are in school and most schools focus on Remembrance Day activities on Nov 11. It could be argued they are learning more about the veterans and their sacrifice in school than sitting at home playing video games. The government even has a program that brings vets into schools to speak directly with the kids.

Not having the day as a holiday is obviously detrimental for adults wishing to attend services.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Wezil
It was a holiday in Ontario years ago. I don't remember when it changed.

A positive of it not being a holiday anymore is that kids are in school and most schools focus on Remembrance Day activities on Nov 11. It could be argued they are learning more about the veterans and their sacrifice in school than sitting at home playing video games. The government even has a program that brings vets into schools to speak directly with the kids.

Not having the day as a holiday is obviously detrimental for adults wishing to attend services.

In Alberta, we just had the remembrance day stuff the last school day before Nov 11. We had ceremonies where vets attended, presentations, etc.

[Wezil]

That is a good compromise as well.

If the day is to survive the children need to know the importance of the day. Just another holiday won't do it.

[Arrian]

Whats with all the damn war movies anyway? I'd like to see a whole day of veterans recounting stories. No commercials, no fanfare, just their histories as seen through their eyes, good and bad. There are similar documentaries about Medal of Honor winners etc but I think people need to see more than that.

My father has nothing but scorn for the vast majority of war movies. He thought that the opening scene in Private Ryan did a so-so job of capturing it, but the movie went downhill in a hurry from there (for him).

-Arrian

[Asher]

Originally posted by Arrian




My father has nothing but scorn for the vast majority of war movies. He thought that the opening scene in Private Ryan did a so-so job of capturing it, but the movie went downhill in a hurry from there (for him).

-Arrian

There are already many fantastic WW2 documentaries focusing on interviews with veterans.

[Arrian]

Sure. My point is that Spencer is right that they should be played on Vet's day instead of war movies.

-Arrian