Remembrance

As most readers of this blog likely knew, Thursday (Nov. 11) was Veterans Day in the United States.  It was also Remembrance Day in Canada, the UK, Australia, South Africa and other Commonwealth countries; and still known as Armistice Day in France, Belgium and New Zealand.  I wasn't able to attend the ceremony at Camp Eggers due to another ceremony -- the graduation of our latest class of Afghan Public Affairs Officers and NCOs (story to follow) -- but still enjoyed experiencing the commemoration of such a day while here.

Vets Day 2010: Public Affairs Course 5-10 graduation.

Ironically for Afghanistan, where the cultivation of them is at the heart of many of the country's problems, the poppy is the widely recognized symbol of this holiday.  Canadian officers here began wearing their poppies on the last weekend in October, and wore them until the 11th, in accordance with tradition.  More on the day below:

Reason for Remembrance Day (Canada)

Remembrance Day commemorates those who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. It is held every November 11 throughout the British Commonwealth, beginning in 1919. Originally called Armistice Day, it commemorated the end of the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.: the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

From 1923 to 1931, Armistice Day was held on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. Thanksgiving was also celebrated on this day. In 1931, M.P. Allan Neill introduced a bill to hold Armistice Day on a fixed day - November 11. During the bill's introduction, it was decided the word Remembrance would be used instead of Armistice. The bill passed and Remembrance Day was conducted on November 11, 1931. Thanksgiving Day was moved to October 12 that year.

In many other countries, people gather on November 11 to honour the courage and devotion of brave men and women who made the supreme sacrifice of dying for their country. It marks the observance of a day to remember and honour those who died, as well as to give thanks for the sacrifices of those who came back from serving their country. 

The poppy's significance to Remembrance Day is a result of Canadian military physician John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields." The poppy emblem was chosen because of the poppies that bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their red colour an appropriate symbol for the bloodshed of trench warfare.

National Independence Day

Narodowe Święto Niepodległości is a public holiday in Poland celebrated every year on 11 November to commemorate the anniversary of Poland's assumption of independent statehood in 1918 after 123 years of partitions by Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia. The foundation of the Second Polish Republic is considered a key event by many Poles.

Veterans’ Day

Veterans Day is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said:

"To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."

On June 1, 1954, the United States replaced Armistice with Veterans in order to recognize all veterans, and it has been known as Veterans Day since.

Even the chow hall goes all out for Nov. 11.

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Unfortunately, you don't have to look far to find places where there is too much bloodshed today.

The brief story below is from a reporter with 3/5...Third Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, which has been suffering heavy losses from the day they took the reins from the Brits in Sangin.  A notorious crossroads and district capital of Helmand province, Sangin had already acquired a brutal reputation -- and is proving itself deserving of that notoriety.

"The tactics keep changing because they're smart and they watch us," said Esrey. "They don't have TV here. We're their TV."

Marines learn lessons from tragedy in Afghanistan

Please keep the warriors of 3/5, and all of those in harm's way, in your thoughts and prayers as they face the deadly danger they face each day.  And here's wishing a belated happy Veterans Day, solemn Remembrance Day, and joyeux Armistice Day to all of the veterans out there.

Camp Eggers, Kabul: November 11, 2010.