11th hour of the 11th month

[den]

I should have posted this yesterday.

Here in Australia we have Armistice Day, but it is restricted to a minute's silence at 11am. Our day of rememberance is on the 25th of April: ANZAC Day. On that day in 1915 the allied troops invaded Turkey by landing at Galipoli, hoping to create a second front so that the Turks would stay out of Europe. It didn't work, the Turks beat us back, and a lot of Australians, New Zealanders, and British soldiers died. The only real memorable part of that campaign was the way our men fought and died. And the Turks. Let's never forget that their casualties were twice ours.

The whole thing was pointless and I blame High Command for that. However, that doesn't make the Aussies, Kiwis, Poms and Turk soldiers anything less than heros.

It became fashionable to knock ANZAC day, to call the Diggers "old farts" and to proclaim loudly that we were celebrating war. To those people I say "Fuck you!" The men marching put more on the line than you'll ever have to. And there is a difference between celebrating and remembering.

I remember what they did.

Comments

[level-head.livejournal.com]

Would you still hav called it pointless if it had worked?

Did it have any beneficial effect at all?

===|==============/ Level Head

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

If it had worked it would have opened the Black Sea up to allied shipping and support for Russia, but I don't think it would have shortened the war. The whole thing was a mess of Euro-politics with the lives of ordinary soldiers lost as a result.

If only it really was the war to end all wars.

Re:

[level-head.livejournal.com]

But if "the whole thing was a mess" -- certainly this is a fair statement about any war, however regrettably necessary it might be -- I'm not sure what you were saying about the particular tactic used with regard to Turkey.

===|==============/ Level Head

[acelightning.livejournal.com]

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

That seems the way it always is, the high command makes the decisions and the men in the ranks bleed. I'm glad you remember and I'm glad for those who put something larger before themselves. Thank You.

It goes continuely around and around.

[twoolfe.livejournal.com]

Here's a little excercise for your wonder factor.
Who was who's enemy at what given time over the last hundred years or so. The pairings are almost as crazy as the speed of changes.
And all of them seemed so *necessarry* at the time.
T. {AKA Hey JW PFC. 142xxxx/2611 USMC} son of Hey WE motorman on a PT lost in the south pacific.