monkeyhead
New Member
it's a pity that the government seems to be able to find the money to send people into war but is not so keen to look after them afterwards.
November 11th
- Thread starter Dilzybhoy
- Start date
Red Faction
Allez Les Rouges
Bigdavalad said:
'in defence of all small nations'
reminds me of a point nigel irritable made- that he was disgusted seeing irishmen wearing poppies
its a shame ireland is so reluctant to commemorate the men who sacrificed their lives on the beaches of gallipoli and the trenches in france
in defence of small nations
Red Faction
Allez Les Rouges
even deliberately lying- saying gulf war syndrome doesnt existmonkeyhead said:
in order to avoid paying compensation
the way they treated the gurkas (sp?) was also pretty shitty
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
I think this is wrong. I thought that ever since WWII in most conflicts the number of civilan deaths has been greater than the number of soldiers deaths.Bigdavalad said:
Bigdavalad
New Member
fanta said:
Exactly.
Unfortunately, that's controlled by a treaty between Britain, India and Singapore from when the Gurkhas left the Imperial Indian Army and joined the British Army. I do agree they deserve far better though.
Bigdavalad
New Member
redsquirrel said:
Not in all of them I wouldn't have thought - many of the wars since 1945 haven't been 'traditional' wars, but have been small scale insurgencies where civvies will 'get in the way' more.
madamv
Oi! With the poodle already
Well, I remember two grandfathers who fought in WW2, both returned home after some harrowing times in POW camps. One grandfather would never talk of the war, my other lived and breathed his experiences. I went every DDay reunion to Normandy with my grandparents and visited the cemetaries there.
And Bigdavalad, my grandad was 15 when he lied about his age to sign up!
Its not a british thing really. Certainly not in France. Cemetaries are kept beautifully and even the German one I saw, with its black head stones, was immaculate and stunning. The dedicated Canadian one (for JC2) was beautiful and I still have a pressed maple leaf from my visit there. Although most cemeteries I saw have multi nationalies.
I too think of all the people who needlessly lost their lives, and feel pride for those who wanted to fight for the freedom of their country.
So, remembrance sunday has a fond place in my heart.
And Bigdavalad, my grandad was 15 when he lied about his age to sign up!
Its not a british thing really. Certainly not in France. Cemetaries are kept beautifully and even the German one I saw, with its black head stones, was immaculate and stunning. The dedicated Canadian one (for JC2) was beautiful and I still have a pressed maple leaf from my visit there. Although most cemeteries I saw have multi nationalies.
I too think of all the people who needlessly lost their lives, and feel pride for those who wanted to fight for the freedom of their country.
So, remembrance sunday has a fond place in my heart.
Bigdavalad
New Member
madamv said:
In Arnhem, each child in the school is 'given' the grave of a British soldier to look after through their time in school, to remind them of the men who gave their lives to liberate them from German occupation - there was a woman I saw interviewed during the 60th anniversary of the Arnhem drop who'd been going back to the same grave for 50 odd years to say thank you to 'her' soldier.
Was your underage Granddad in WW1 or WW2 mate? I know it happened a lot in WW1, although I've not heard it so much in WW2.
Idris2002
Stay Alive in '25
In Ireland since the 1990s there's been an effort to commemorate the Irishmen who fought in the first world war and other conflicts.
It's an admirable phenomenon, mostly, but sometimes I wonder if the establishment would like to use it to get Ireland into other wars in the future.
It's an admirable phenomenon, mostly, but sometimes I wonder if the establishment would like to use it to get Ireland into other wars in the future.
Bigdavalad
New Member
Idris2002 said:
There are still plenty of Irishmen fighting now - plenty of Irish lads in the British Army, as well as an Irish presence in Afghanistan (not sure on the size of their force there, but they get a mention on the NATO's website).
Given the size and relative strength of the Irish Forces, I doubt they'll ever be involved in anything other than peacekeeping.
Bigdavalad
New Member
madamv said:
Respect to your grandfather then, not many can say they've done that, especially after joining underage.
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
madamv said:
Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge:
http://photos.french-property.com/data/530/2482arras9.jpg
Johnny Canuck3
Well-Known Member
Bigdavalad said:
My grandfather lied to get into ww1. I think he was sixteen.
madamv
Oi! With the poodle already
Johnny Canuck2 said:
Wow wee. What a memorial. I have googled it and the other pics are also breathtaking.
I have also tried to find the one I was at... Cant see and dont remember the location. It was in Normandy, must be near the beaches I would have thought. It had one, maybe two, giant pillars which you could climb up and see the whole cem. There was, of course, many maples too.
I don't really care much for rememberance sunday. I don't see anything glorious in killing other people just for the sake of your own country.
Anyways, as much as I hate US foreign policy in general, the american airmen who died during the Berlin airlift (which kept millions of german civilians supplied with food and coal during the soviet blockade) really are heros for me.
http://www.kssursee.ch/schuelerweb/kalter-krieg/entstehung/images/rosinenbomber.jpg
Anyways, as much as I hate US foreign policy in general, the american airmen who died during the Berlin airlift (which kept millions of german civilians supplied with food and coal during the soviet blockade) really are heros for me.
http://www.kssursee.ch/schuelerweb/kalter-krieg/entstehung/images/rosinenbomber.jpg
Bigdavalad
New Member
TAE said:
That's the whole point of Remembrance Day - to remember the lads who died (and continue to die) in war and to remind people that war is not glorious and there is no glorious death - just horror, death and destruction.
It's nothing to do with celebrating war or the killing of soldiers from other countries.
Nigel
For A Degenerates' Workers State
White Poppy
I wore a white poppy for a little while of the Peace Pledge Union, but decided not t wear it because an old veteren of WWII asked me what it stood for, so I told him. I found it very difficult to justify my position, not being a pacifist or anti militarist(how are national liberation struggles, anti imperialist or socialist countries supposed to defend themselves without arms). Especially around WWII, which all being said and done was an Anti Fascist Conflict, and other military interventions that were necessary and commendable; for example UN security measures in Kosovo, or humanitarian missions where members of the armed forces were injured or killed.
In the end I decided not to take any position on it. In theory I oppose it, after all it was set up to commemorate the needless butchery of Imperialist powers after WWI. But the issues become more ambiguous and revised as time goes on.
I wore a white poppy for a little while of the Peace Pledge Union, but decided not t wear it because an old veteren of WWII asked me what it stood for, so I told him. I found it very difficult to justify my position, not being a pacifist or anti militarist(how are national liberation struggles, anti imperialist or socialist countries supposed to defend themselves without arms). Especially around WWII, which all being said and done was an Anti Fascist Conflict, and other military interventions that were necessary and commendable; for example UN security measures in Kosovo, or humanitarian missions where members of the armed forces were injured or killed.
In the end I decided not to take any position on it. In theory I oppose it, after all it was set up to commemorate the needless butchery of Imperialist powers after WWI. But the issues become more ambiguous and revised as time goes on.
Taxamo Welf
kebagels pls
It obviously got this message across to you then.Bigdavalad said:
Bigdavalad said:
Then why do they keep talking about the brave soldiers who died fighting for our country ?
The glorious dead
redsquirrel
This Machine Kills Progressives
But I didn;t say all of them I said most. I think it's pretty obvious that your claim that more soldiers are killed in war than civilians simply isn't true nowadays.Bigdavalad said:
EDIT:
Vietnam Casualties
Total dead: 250,000+ (South Vietnam), 58,226 (US)
Wounded: 153,303 (US) Total dead: Official Vietnamese estimate: 1,100,000
Wounded: 600,000
Civilian Casualties: c. 2–4 million
And Vietnam is probably more in favour of the soldiers than many of the conflicts, say for instance the Mau-Mau wars
wikipedia said:
Bigdavalad
New Member
TAE said:
Because we remember the brave soldiers who died fighting for their country on Remembrance Day?
Bigdavalad
New Member
Taxamo Welf said:
Not sure what you mean to be honest?
Similar threads
