ANZAC Day

[VladTepes]

Tomorrow, the 25th of April, is ANZAC Day

A big thank you to all former and currently serving members of the Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces; and especially to those who served overseas, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice and sometimes returning home as damaged men and women.   

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.





At ANZAC Cove at Gallipoli there was, until 2017*, a monument, erected by Mustapha Kemal Ataturk (subsequently ruler of Turkey)



It read:

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace, after having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
- Ataturk, 1934


This symbol stood for many years expressing the mutual respect the Australian, New Zealand, and Turkish people had. After all, it's not the soldiers who are responsible for the war. Young men on both sides were sent to battle, and simply did as they had to do.

a quick primer for our foreign friends as to the meaning of ANZAC Day here in Australia and New Zealand:
https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/anzac-day/traditions



As it's tangential to the ANZAC story but as to why I mentioned until 2017... In that year the Turkish Government under Recap Erdogan's fundamentalist Islamic Government, destroyed the monument, as part of their reframing the Gallipoli campaign as 'an invasion of crusaders into the house of Islam'  click for more info on this.

Please note however that this thread is NOT for discussion of Islamist matters, but keep it to ANZAC Day and remembrance of our fallen.  Thank you.

[VladTepes]

A well put together video for ANZAC 2019.

[seth]

My great uncle fought at Gallipoli alongside the Anzac's and survived only to meet his end on the Somme a couple of years later.
For all the men on both sides who were cought up in the European royal family argument that was ww1.
We should remember them

[Notty]

We must never forget the sacrifice that was given

[Sweaty]

Very touching video.
We will remember them.
Lest we forget.

[GSXKING]

I will never forget.

I have been lucky enough to have met and chatted with both Keith Payne VC and Ben Roberts-Smith VC on separate occasions at ANZAC commemorations, there is something that I can't explain, however, both men have an aura about them is all I can say.

[gsxbarmy]

I had the honour to visit the Commonwealth war graves around Ypres last year - whole regiments of Anzac soldiers who lost their lives defending hills - and still do being buried in the shadows of same.

When you are standing there amongst all the headstones, you really do realise how futile and stupid war is - and how brave the guys who fight them are and who willingly lay down their lives so we can enjoy peace today.

Let them never be forgotten.

[Irish in Oz]

I grew up in the shadow of this monument and still see it nearly every day.
Lest We Forget.

[seth]

One good thing I found out when I visited my great uncles grave in the Somme is that the Australians have a scheme where direct male descendents can give a DNA sample and they check the DNA of unknown fallen to see if they match to give these lost soldiers a proper marked grave .
So if any of you in the upside down world have relatives with unknown faces it might be worth looking into .

[Horse]

Just came from the dawn service ,gets bigger every year ,had an uncle that died at El Alamein and a father that signed up the day he died only to get posted to Borneo to fight the Japanese, that didn't work the way it was supposed to?,anyway its humbling to remember all those that went through hell to let us live in one of the longest (major) peacetimes that have been,

Lest We Forget

[grog]

Yesterday i watched around a 100 Vietnam Vets do the ride out from dawn service. Every person patched, every bike a Harley. I dont ever promote Harly rides but this was brilliant.

[VladTepes]

I have been lucky enough to have met and chatted with both Keith Payne VC and Ben Roberts-Smith VC

Did Keith hit you up for a beer?

His medal group is at the Maryborough Military Museum IIRC.

Yesterday i watched around a 100 Vietnam Vets do the ride out from dawn service. Every person patched, every bike a Harley.

Interesting. Back in the day the VVMC was one of the few (if not the only) patched club that allowed members to ride bikes other than Harleys. I reacll a Ural outfit, among others.  After all, it's not the Harley Brand that is their common bond...