Lest we forget? (Mostly focused at Australian and New Zealand forum go-ers)

[Radelaide]

Today marks a special occasion for Australians and New Zealanders. Today, it's ANZAC day. Today we remember those who died during the battle at Gallipoli during World War One. Today is also a public holiday, much to the inconvenience of many people.

I was at the shops today trying to get the newspapers for my mum, and as I walked towards the News agency, I hear "Why are all the shops closed today? The ANZACs are all dead! Who cares!" from a young lad near by. Not only did I wanna punch this kid in the face, it made me wonder: Will the ANZAC spirit live on as history goes by? Will the site at Turkey still remain sacred to Australians and New Zealanders years from now? And should today be a public holiday?

Personally, I believe that the 25th of April is a very important day in my countries history. It should be remembered, and those who died and lived should be honoured the way they deserve.

---

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

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

Lest we forget

---

NB: I'm sorry if this sounds like some push to make you remember or something like that, but this is important to me, and I'm sure others. I also would like to note that I don't want one word answers. Please explain if you answer the questions

 

[Lord Krunk]

I swear, if the A stood for America, then the stockmarket would crash every 25th...

I respect the ANZACs because of their courage and determination, even when britain fucked up colossally. It's good to see the parades go by, but every year I come to thinking more and more that they are really running out of time.

Life must go on, and inconveniences like this can't be caused by something that happened a century ago, no matter how integral it is to our culture.

Mind you, it's still a public holiday. Why would I complain? Oh yeah, because it's Saturday.

 

[traceur_]

Sadly I think it will eventually be forgotten and OP you should have punched that little prick in the face. I wish it would be remembered forever but I don't think it will be.

Lest we forget.

 

[Radelaide]

I'm afraid that I don't live in either Australia nor New Zealand, so I guess my opinion doesn't count for much.

But I don't agree with the whole remembrance thing, at least the way you put it. Yes, it's probably a touching event in which many people dear to someone died. But it doesn't mean we should lock down the stores and potentially fuck up some peoples' lives, even if they're just whiny little kids, just because of that.

I mean, 911 happened less then a decade ago and I'm fucking sick of the whole thing. Yes, people died. Yes, it's sad. Get over it.

I'm sure I'll get a lot of hate for this, but opinions are opinions =)

I don't hate you. And I can completely understand what you mean. But you're kind of comparing apples and oranges. Edit:Okay, so as I was saying.. You sort of can't compare the two. One was a terrorist attack and the other was a badly executed militant move.

But I understand what you're saying.

 

[Internet Kraken]

You don't need to close down the shops to remember the sacrifices other people made.

 

[Inco]

Actually, everyone has there opinions, and even though there are many people who say, 'who cares' there are as much people who pay their respects for them, myself included in the latter.
I dunno, a lot of shops are open from what i can see, in fact the entire commercial district nearby for me is still booming.
There's the thing, ANZAC day is only really done on the day (bear with me, i'll explain) and people don't go on about it on any other day, unlike the 911 incident, which you can still here to this very day.

 

[Manyeyes]

Not all shops are closed; most are opening at 1pm.

And ANZAC day will continue, with or without the holiday, so long as we remember the fallen.
That?s all the holiday is about.

 

[Elexia]

I went to the ANZAC day ceremony in the country town where I live. It's pretty incredible to think that every town/city across the country carries out the same thing.

I love ANZAC day despite not having any family that has served for Australia/NZ in a war (both sides of my family are migrants post-world war II). I always get reduced to tears when I hear stories, diary entries and such from the ANZAC battles in Gallipoli.

 

[F17]

Sure, closing shops and holding dawn services 'forces' people to remember. But shouldn't we be? The Gallipoli Campaign was important, and helped to bring both Australia and New Zealand onto the stage as important nations rather than mere colonies. It's more than remembering the dead soldiers, though that aspect is massively important - it's the commemoration of the nation as a whole.

 

[VTSK]

Its one thing to remember, another to grieve.
We should remember the soldiers who have died, who sacrificed their lives so that we can live the way we do today, but I don't think we should grieve. I don't think they fought so that we could be sad about it.

As for the closing shops... is it even for the entire day? Can we not take a few hours off our schedule to remember? It doesn't seem like a big deal to me that I can't go to a shop for one day.

 

[Ushario]

ANZAC day and remembering the men that fought, and died, for our nation is very important to me.

To disrespect that sacrifice those men made, is to me, horrifying. I don't always go to dawn service, as I'm not able to make it every year unfortunatley.

 

[Motti]

Gallipoli was a colossal charlie-fox, Churchill's plan was completely retarded. Those men did die pointlessly as they walked very slowly towards the machine guns that had been put there a couple of months ago. I could rant about the retardation of gallipoli but I don't want to bore people.

Now:

I personally think the Anzacs were sent in to be butchered by stupid generals and acheived nothing. Those soldiers didn't make a sacrifice, they went in thinking that they'd be the lucky ones to go out - the whole 'sacrifice' bullshit was made up by the people still alive - and if they did die for a cause then i don't see said cause as the gallipoli stuffup acheived nothing.

I think the day is just some lame attempt by warmongers to make people think war is honourable and traditional. I think a special day for australia would be a 'Australia's Bounty' day in which everyone sits down in f*cing awe of how beautiful our country is, and ponders on how gay most australian people are.

I woke up at 10am, this anzac day.

Every vet worth his salt has his number one wish that nobody will have to go through what they went through.

 

[banthesun]

I personally think the Anzacs were sent in to be butchered by stupid generals and acheived nothing. Those soldiers didn't make a sacrifice, they went in thinking that they'd be the lucky ones to go out - the whole 'sacrifice' bullshit was made up by the people still alive - and if they did die for a cause then i don't see said cause as the gallipoli stuffup acheived nothing.

I think the day is just some lame attempt by warmongers to make people think war is honourable and traditional. I think a special day for australia would be a 'Australia's Bounty' day in which everyone sits down in f*cing awe of how beautiful our country is, and ponders on how gay most australian people are.

I woke up at 10am, this anzac day.

ANZAC day annoys me, we should remember wars and how horrible it was (is), but to glorify sitting in a trench shooting at people and being shot at is just disgraceful. The concept of the 'ANZAC spirit' as a willingness to go and do just this is a travesty.
To me it feels like they're saying "war is hell, but your not a man if you don't go and put up with it"

Also I heard that the vetrans themselves were initialy against it, but I'm not sure on the reliablity of that information, so I'm not going to use it as a point