Let's take a moment to remember those who gave their lives for us to live in freedom.
Our family lost grandparents and great grandparents to two world wars.
I wish they'd teach our kids in school as part of the curriculum about this vital part in our history.
'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few'
Digger said
Jun 6 1:23 PM, 2024
Soldiers who took part in the Normandy landings 80 years ago wept as they remembered their fallen comrades and were given standing ovations by the grateful younger generations at a series of touching commemorative events in northern France.
At the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, tribute was paid to the 'remarkable wartime generation', before wreaths of poppies were laid in memory of the more than 25,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the first stages of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
The number of veterans in attendance was only a few dozen, as the numbers of survivors dwindles with each year that passes - at the 75th anniversary five years ago 255 travelled to France, compared to the 50 who have made the journey this time around.
My grandad survived the first world war which was a fight to be free to live in back to back slum housing and graft for pennies in the wealthiest empire ever seen on earth.
My father survived the second round as a motor torpedo boat Sargent on the Suez Canal.
Never saw a bullet fired in anger and had a right old jolly from what he said. He came back to rationing and lots of destroyed areas from German bombing.
Churchill was kicked out and communism nearly took hold because people like my old man vowed never ever again must this be allowed for the
protection of the wealthiest so... the NHS was born modern schools and parks were built housing improved massively... to keep the commies at bay.
The generation that Sunak thinks should face conscription now would be the final nail in this countries coffin.
A load of look at me I want and I want it now am I a girl or a boy or a cat? I don't know!
Lets hope we have plenty of robots when it comes time to fight the Russians!
Syl said
Jun 6 3:21 PM, 2024
All of us owe the older generations so much. Not many left that fought in WW2....we won't see the likes of them again.
Magica said
Jun 6 5:31 PM, 2024
No we won't. Bless them all. Our thanks to them all. Brave, courageous, men.
Anonymous said
Jun 6 5:56 PM, 2024
I am noting the politicization of the D-Day ceremony this year whereby politicians and the media are exploiting the deaths of these past veterans to justify foreign policy which transfers hundreds of billions into the present day military industrial congressional complex from the ordinary citizen (including inflating away savings) for the purpose of creating and maintaining death and destruction in certain parts of the world using the concept of a necessary and noble war.
Syl said
Jun 6 6:52 PM, 2024
Anonymous wrote:
I am noting the politicization of the D-Day ceremony this year whereby politicians and the media are exploiting the deaths of these past veterans to justify foreign policy which transfers hundreds of billions into the present day military industrial congressional complex from the ordinary citizen (including inflating away savings) for the purpose of creating and maintaining death and destruction in certain parts of the world using the concept of a necessary and noble war.
Take a breath, FGS.
jackb said
Jun 6 10:05 PM, 2024
We need somehow to really get across that these people were young people because a lot of people just see old farts with medals on their blazers.
The people fighting were young people just like todays young people.
The people at home were young mums with kids trying to survive and stay strong in the midst of their communities being bombed nightly and their streets parks schools factories being destroyed!
The rationing of not just food but everything!
The young people of today need to be asked could they cope?
How would they cope?
How would they deal with conscription removal from family and the country itself?
How would they deal with hungry frightened children with news coming back constantly of dads dead and not returning?
In my lifetime I've never seen any attempt to get young people to understand these things.
Magica said
Jun 6 11:20 PM, 2024
jackb wrote:
We need somehow to really get across that these people were young people because a lot of people just see old farts with medals on their blazers. The people fighting were young people just like todays young people. The people at home were young mums with kids trying to survive and stay strong in the midst of their communities being bombed nightly and their streets parks schools factories being destroyed! The rationing of not just food but everything! The young people of today need to be asked could they cope? How would they cope? How would they deal with conscription removal from family and the country itself? How would they deal with hungry frightened children with news coming back constantly of dads dead and not returning? In my lifetime I've never seen any attempt to get young people to understand these things.
Very true Jack. Many kids today have been so spoilt. They would never cope.
Maddog said
Jun 7 1:07 AM, 2024
I shared this pic on Facebook today. These were boys that fought like men.
They are Army Rangers. Don't know if they were Rudders Rangers who were tasked with fighting up 100 foot cliff at Point du Hoc or not, but about half of that group didn't make it.
There are still men like this, but they are too much of a minority..
In the pic of the GI's, the kid in the middle looks about 13.
It was the same here, many youngsters tried to join the army by lying about their age. In WW1, more than 250,000 16 and 17 year olds fought.
WW2 every fit man between the ages of 18 and 41 had no choice, many were sent as cannon fodder.
The kids of today would not know what had hit them, just as the kids of previous generations didn't.
A mixture of ignorance and bravado cost us the countries youths, and it would, and could happen again.
Maddog said
Jun 7 3:37 PM, 2024
Syl wrote:
In the pic of the GI's, the kid in the middle looks about 13. It was the same here, many youngsters tried to join the army by lying about their age. In WW1, more than 250,000 16 and 17 year olds fought. WW2 every fit man between the ages of 18 and 41 had no choice, many were sent as cannon fodder.
The kids of today would not know what had hit them, just as the kids of previous generations didn't. A mixture of ignorance and bravado cost us the countries youths, and it would, and could happen again.
WWI was the stupidest war of all wars. Your country and mine should have set that one out. We tried very hard to keep out because our national mindset was European meat grinder wars were none off our business.
We tried with WWII too, because WWI reminded us how stupid they were.
I hope kids never have to experience all of that, but we definitely need ones that can. If for no other reason but as a deterrent to others not to try anything.
This song by my favorite Canadian makes me think of WWI for some reason, even though it's really about all of them..
-- Edited by Maddog on Friday 7th of June 2024 03:38:42 PM
jackb said
Jun 9 6:34 PM, 2024
The D in D day stands for day.
Everyone will now pretend they knew that all along and quickly Google it so they can explain it to themselves.
Let's take a moment to remember those who gave their lives for us to live in freedom.
Our family lost grandparents and great grandparents to two world wars.
I wish they'd teach our kids in school as part of the curriculum about this vital part in our history.
'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few'
Soldiers who took part in the Normandy landings 80 years ago wept as they remembered their fallen comrades and were given standing ovations by the grateful younger generations at a series of touching commemorative events in northern France.
At the British Normandy Memorial in Ver-sur-Mer, tribute was paid to the 'remarkable wartime generation', before wreaths of poppies were laid in memory of the more than 25,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the first stages of the invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe.
The number of veterans in attendance was only a few dozen, as the numbers of survivors dwindles with each year that passes - at the 75th anniversary five years ago 255 travelled to France, compared to the 50 who have made the journey this time around.
A veteran sniffs a white rose given to him by French schoolchildren on the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings in Ver-sur-Mer
-- Edited by Digger on Thursday 6th of June 2024 01:27:29 PM
My father survived the second round as a motor torpedo boat Sargent on the Suez Canal.
Never saw a bullet fired in anger and had a right old jolly from what he said. He came back to rationing and lots of destroyed areas from German bombing.
Churchill was kicked out and communism nearly took hold because people like my old man vowed never ever again must this be allowed for the
protection of the wealthiest so... the NHS was born modern schools and parks were built housing improved massively... to keep the commies at bay.
The generation that Sunak thinks should face conscription now would be the final nail in this countries coffin.
A load of look at me I want and I want it now am I a girl or a boy or a cat? I don't know!
Lets hope we have plenty of robots when it comes time to fight the Russians!
All of us owe the older generations so much.
Not many left that fought in WW2....we won't see the likes of them again.
I am noting the politicization of the D-Day ceremony this year whereby politicians and the media are exploiting the deaths of these past veterans to justify foreign policy which transfers hundreds of billions into the present day military industrial congressional complex from the ordinary citizen (including inflating away savings) for the purpose of creating and maintaining death and destruction in certain parts of the world using the concept of a necessary and noble war.
Take a breath, FGS.
The people fighting were young people just like todays young people.
The people at home were young mums with kids trying to survive and stay strong in the midst of their communities being bombed nightly and their streets parks schools factories being destroyed!
The rationing of not just food but everything!
The young people of today need to be asked could they cope?
How would they cope?
How would they deal with conscription removal from family and the country itself?
How would they deal with hungry frightened children with news coming back constantly of dads dead and not returning?
In my lifetime I've never seen any attempt to get young people to understand these things.
Very true Jack. Many kids today have been so spoilt. They would never cope.
I shared this pic on Facebook today. These were boys that fought like men.
They are Army Rangers. Don't know if they were Rudders Rangers who were tasked with fighting up 100 foot cliff at Point du Hoc or not, but about half of that group didn't make it.
There are still men like this, but they are too much of a minority..
I'm choked. So proud. Yet so many died.
I hope we never see another war.
It was the same here, many youngsters tried to join the army by lying about their age. In WW1, more than 250,000 16 and 17 year olds fought.
WW2 every fit man between the ages of 18 and 41 had no choice, many were sent as cannon fodder.
The kids of today would not know what had hit them, just as the kids of previous generations didn't.
A mixture of ignorance and bravado cost us the countries youths, and it would, and could happen again.
WWI was the stupidest war of all wars. Your country and mine should have set that one out. We tried very hard to keep out because our national mindset was European meat grinder wars were none off our business.
We tried with WWII too, because WWI reminded us how stupid they were.
I hope kids never have to experience all of that, but we definitely need ones that can. If for no other reason but as a deterrent to others not to try anything.
This song by my favorite Canadian makes me think of WWI for some reason, even though it's really about all of them..
-- Edited by Maddog on Friday 7th of June 2024 03:38:42 PM
Everyone will now pretend they knew that all along and quickly Google it so they can explain it to themselves.