Remembering the fallen today I was struck by the incongruity I felt. I was reminded of how I felt when I saw the killing fields of Passchendaele and the rows of white named stones each a life that had ended, ended before time. I was reminded of the war memorial at Delville Wood, the stories of bravery and sacrifice retold and retold. When I walked in the fields surrounding the memorial I walked on the ground that buried the blood and bones of bodies, young and old.
Later after a light drizzle of rain I stopped and in the low spring sun I walked over a newly ploughed field. Along the tops of the rows of freshly turned red earth washed and exposed, bullets lay. Weathered and dirty with age yet enduring. Remembering the day that millions were dispatched by young men to kill other young men. Silent testimonies preserved in brass, of a conflict that requires young men to kill to satisfy the failure of diplomacy and reason.
So I am left empty on this day, not bursting with pride, but confused by our subsequent perpetuation of the destruction. Men called it a "war to end all wars", they pleaded with us to remember them in order that it would never happen again. So "Remember Them" for their sacrifice and the foolishness of war.
2 comments:
Dear Julius,
so glad to read you again.
In France we have the 11 th of November to commemorate the end of the 1rst world war.Some say to celebrate victory. I do not think that there is any victory in having millions of lost lives and injured people, massive destruction. Yet it is a good thing to remember those that fought for our liberty, and to remember that even if we cannot all be friends, we can learn to accept each other's differences and let PEACE always be the better choice.
I hope that you have also some "ceasefire" during your battle.
take care
Frédérique
Well said!
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