Lest We Forget, ANZAC day 2013

[jhungary]

Today, 25th April, 2013 is what the Australian called the ANZAC day. A day which normal Australian pay respect to their soldier, and for an Aussie Digger to remember their fallen mate.

What it meant to be a soldier

I was at the Martin Place this morning, also paying respect to the fallen soldier, people don't understand what it meant to be a soldier and what this day means to the veteran.

To understand why this day is one of the most important day to the Australian. One need to know the ANZAC legend. ANZAC - Australian and New Zealand Army Corp, is an organisation span from WWI up until the Vietnam War. Even though the word ANZAC lost their actual meaning after the Vietnam War as we no longer always fight alongside with the New Zealander Brother as a combined unit. But the name ANZAC is not lost nor forgotten.

ANZAC day comes from the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915, when the ANZAC landed in Turkey opposing the Ottoman empire on 25 April 1915. The ANZAC legend was born. On the 30th April the news of ANZAC landing swept thru across Australia and New Zealand, originally the mast is half fly and a half holiday are declare on the ground that This will be the campaign that knock the ottoman out of WW1 and thus end the war faster but 3 months past by and it's clear that the Commonwealth Force (UK + Canadian + ANZAC) are no where near the objective. But by then, many ANZAC heroism and legend was already bored in this god forsaken campaign. In stead, the ANZAC day turn from commemorate the victory of the campaign to a day to pay tribute and respect of those individual heroism of the ANZAC legion.

What normally happened in ANZAC day are a dawn service will be held at one of the Commemorating location (Martin Places Cenotaph in Sydney) and followed by a march by veteran and current service member, followed by an ceremony and a playing of "Last Post" and of course the National Anthem. Family member and normal Australia will play a game called "Two-up" and today is the only day in Australia that allow gambling outside authorised location.
Then there will be the annual ANZAC game of Football with the AFL and ANZAC test cricket.

at night, people, soldier, veteran or other alike, will flock to their local RSL club and cerebrate this day, swapping war stories and what not.

To a soldier, respect is not placing you on a marble mausoleum, respect is not on those 21 gun salute. respect is not about people lining up in 2 formation and welcoming you back home. Respect is for people to remember who you are and what you did. You died, there will be a place forever called yours and nobody, I mean nobody can take that away from you. That is the place where your body felt, a simple gesture of rifle driven to the ground with some tag would be more than suitable for a soldier called this an eternal home. As long as people remember who they are and what they did, those would be the best tribute a soldier can ever get.

Lest We Forget, let me depart with this poet from an English Poet served in WW1

If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

Rupert Brooke, 1914

 

[anilindia]

Congrats....

 

[Neptune]

@jhungary I'm saluting those heroes. Especially the ones died in Gallipoli

Gallipoli - Memorial at Anzac Cove
by Ataturk.
"Those heroes that shed their
blood and lost their lives…
You are now living in the soil of a
friendly country. Therefore rest in
peace. There is no difference
between the Johnnies and the
Mehmets to us where they lie
side by side here in this country
of ours…
You, the mothers, who sent their
sons from faraway countries
wipe away your tears; your sons
are now lying in our bosom and
are in peace, after having lost
their lives on this land they have
become our sons as well."
Ataturk, 1934

 

[A1Kaid]

Nothing honorable about the ANZAC, and if I were an Australian or a New Zealander I would be dismayed with the British for the way they used your soldiers as cannon fodder for their geopolitical aims against the Ottoman Empire.

 

[jhungary]

Nothing honorable about the ANZAC, and if I were an Australian or a New Zealander I would be dismayed with the British for the way they used your soldiers as cannon fodder for their geopolitical aims against the Ottoman Empire.

You never served any armed force aren't you?? Only people who is taking granted of the soldier will say something like that.

"Ours is not to reason why, but to do or die."

Do I think Gallipoli Campaign is a disaster? Yes, of course, it's lack of planning, lack of competent leadership and most of all, lack of objective.

For a soldier is not to question of the leadership, nor government, nor planning. Soldier fight for one an other, they die for one another, there are no price for individual heroism, there are no calling for.

Do you even know why the ANZAC still charge the Turk the third time in the battle of the Nek even thought the first 2 times was being cut down in 10 seconds?

Do you know why we keep feeding troop in Omaha Beach even though the first wave got cut to pieces?

Do you know why the French Paratrooper still jump in Diên Biên Phu even thought all hope was lost?

We do that because this is the bond of a soldier. This is because the honour of a soldier, that you will not let your man down, you will not let each other down. Do we do it because the British/American/French told us to? NO.

So, sir, people like you will not understand this for probably a million year. And only people with no value of honour would say something like this. I strongly register my disgust on your post. Sir, I suggest that you pick up a rifle, stand guard on a wall, then come back to talk to me.

 

[Kompromat]

Nothing honorable about the ANZAC, and if I were an Australian or a New Zealander I would be dismayed with the British for the way they used your soldiers as cannon fodder for their geopolitical aims against the Ottoman Empire.

Australia or Newzland had no objectives of their own, in WWI/II,Vietnam,Gulf warI/II,Afghanistan and other wars to come. These countries don't have a choice, as they have rarely been seen fighting for their interests instead of the interests of either the British,or the American empire. They are "told" to fight and they can't say no, there is a reason why Australia has participated in almost every war the American empire has started or has been engaged in. I could be wrong in saying, that the only engagement where Australia, had a real stake of its own was in E.Timor.

 

[A1Kaid]

You never served any armed force aren't you?? Only people who is taking granted of the soldier will say something like that.

"Ours is not to reason why, but to do or die."

Do I think Gallipoli Campaign is a disaster? Yes, of course, it's lack of planning, lack of competent leadership and most of all, lack of objective.

For a soldier is not to question of the leadership, nor government, nor planning. Soldier fight for one an other, they die for one another, there are no price for individual heroism, there are no calling for.

Do you even know why the ANZAC still charge the Turk the third time in the battle of the Nek even thought the first 2 times was being cut down in 10 seconds?

Do you know why we keep feeding troop in Omaha Beach even though the first wave got cut to pieces?

Do you know why the French Paratrooper still jump in Diên Biên Phu even thought all hope was lost?

We do that because this is the bond of a soldier. This is because the honour of a soldier, that you will not let your man down, you will not let each other down. Do we do it because the British/American/French told us to? NO.

So, sir, people like you will not understand this for probably a million year. And only people with no value of honour would say something like this. I strongly register my disgust on your post. Sir, I suggest that you pick up a rifle, stand guard on a wall, then come back to talk to me.

You're entitled to your opinion, I simply disagree with your emotional sentiment about the ANZAC. They died for nothing, died because an old drunk blue blood British orator (who could careless about their lives) sent them to their deaths in a war of aggression. He sent ANZAC troops first as cannon fodder so that once they are killed and soften enemy positions, British troops can move in a seize the glory. Even ANZAC troops questioned their mission.

Should they be honored by Australia and NZ yes they should, after all they are their citizens. Though they did not fight for anything righteous or noble as western historians try to present.

We simply disagree on this.

 

[jhungary]

Australia or Newzland had no objectives of their own, in WWI/II,Vietnam,Gulf warI/II,Afghanistan and other wars to come. These countries don't have a choice, as they have rarely been seen fighting for their interests instead of the interests of either the British,or the American empire. They are "told" to fight and they can't say no, there is a reason why Australia has participated in almost every war the American empire has started or has been engaged in. I could be wrong in saying, that the only engagement where Australia, had a real stake of its own was in E.Timor.

Actually there are more War the Ozzie fought for only them.

Malayan Emergency (1950-1960)
Indonesia–Malaysia Border War (1962-1966)

 

[jhungary]

You're entitled to your opinion, I simply disagree with your emotional sentiment about the ANZAC. They died for nothing, died because an old drunk blue blood British orator (who could careless about their lives) sent them to their deaths in a war of aggression. He sent ANZAC troops first as cannon fodder so that once they are killed and soften enemy positions, British troops can move in a seize the glory. Even ANZAC troops questioned their mission.

Should they be honored by Australia and NZ yes they should, after all they are their citizens. Though they did not fight for anything righteous or noble as western historians try to present.

We simply disagree on this.

Did they die for nothing?? This is a very board term. How do you define what did "they" die for.

I understand and I know how incompetent the British Leadership at that time. But for a war to continue, when an order is issued, any soldier must follow. Even thought it mean your certain death.

Again, I would like to raise the same example, Battle of the Nek.

Battle of the Nek - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When the 10th Light Horse charge the Ottoman defensive line just 80 meters. But ended up losing 370 of 600 soldiers of the 10th Light Horse.

When the first charge of 150 men got cut to pieces within 30 seconds (Literally 30 second) the 2nd wave followed within 2 minutes. Also ended with 100% casualty within unknown second. When the order of 3rd Wave to go thru follow the 1st and 2nd wave, which lost approximately 90% of the 300 men. And then there they go, following order.

Many people without military experience will say, "Are they nuts" why would you go when you know the first 2 wave of 300 men did not even have a single one coming back? For a soldier, story is quite different. It's between you can't leave your mate to die and you live your life. Soldier and soldier have a bond, you give your life to the man next to you, and in return he will ask you to do the same. So when Shiite really hit the fan, YOU KNOW HE WILL NOT LEAVE YOU BEHIND, AND SO DO HE

Those soldier in the Nek, does not died for their British Officer, they go over the trench because so they can die with their mate, you leave no one behind, that's the battlefield code. It does not matter who you are fighting with. Or which country you belong to. This is the bond you had when you share a foxhole together, when you do your patrol together. Forget about the British Officer, forget what you think you fight for or how your country got involved in the war. All those are not a matter now. Only matter is you and your people, you try your best not to let them down, so will they try their best not to let you down. Without this battlefield honour, soldier are nothing but an armed thug.

Mate, if we want to celebrate how the British and commonwealth won the WW1, we would have a day for it (We did actually), ANZAC day is different. This is what ANZAC day is about. Not about how British win the WW1 or Lose the Gallipoli. But because of the soldier. But I don't think you will ever understand.

 

[Juice]

Nothing honorable about the ANZAC, and if I were an Australian or a New Zealander I would be dismayed with the British for the way they used your soldiers as cannon fodder for their geopolitical aims against the Ottoman Empire.

Lose Gallipoli? So What. The Soviets lost Kiev, Smolensk etc.....would any one argue they won the war?

 

[scobydoo]

Actually there are more War the Ozzie fought for only them.

Malayan Emergency (1950-1960)
Indonesia–Malaysia Border War (1962-1966)

Australia never fight for their own, they always fight for their master.

In Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation they fight for their British master under commonwealth along with NZ.