Today is ANZAC day.

[Nugog]

25th of April is the day Australians and New Zealanders remember the sacrifices of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corp.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though
poppies grow
In Flanders fields


Lest we forget.

[Nugog]

LINK to the NZ Army website, explaining the significance of the poppy to NZer's as a symbol of rememberance.

[Caligastia]

Lest we forget.

[notyoueither]

...

[Ben Kenobi]

.

[Zkribbler]

[Straybow]

Yay!

[BeBMan]

Didn't they fight on the wrong side mostly?

[Unimatrix11]

Flanders field? I thought the Anzacs got famous during the operations at Gallipoli?

[duke o' york]

They were just unappreciated before.

Thanks to all the serving men and women.

[Nugog]

Flanders field? I thought the Anzacs got famous during the operations at Gallipoli?

The ANZAC's did become well known for Gallipoli, but in NZ the poppy from Flanders field is used as the symbol for rememberance.

[DanS]

...

What an utter waste of a war.

[KrazyHorse]

Flanders field? I thought the Anzacs got famous during the operations at Gallipoli?

Doesn't matter.

The poem is by a Canadian. But the ANZAC experience during both wars has been very similar to the Canadian one (in spirit, if not details)

And:

...

[KrazyHorse]

...

What an utter waste of a war.

For Canada, (and possibly for Aus & NZ) it was the war where we gained a presence on the international stage, and a national identity apart from the UK.

For this reason it has some very positive myths associated with it.

[DanS]

There were some narrow benefits for the US too. All of those assets in the UK column moved over to the US column. But it was still such a waste that I'm sure it was hugely negative on the whole for the US.