Again this year the local RSL (i.e. the Returned Services League… equivalent to the British Legion) had their parade in honour of Anzac Day. Again the parade included large numbers of people from ‘support’ organisations and again one of those was the local Girl Guide troop.
As usual our two girls marched, and as usual I *again* failed to remember to pin the miniature medals my father has sent over for my eldest to wear on exactly such occasions. So annoying. Maybe next year.
Also, as usual, whilst the significance of the event always makes me quite emotional it passed way over the heads of the two girls. In fact the youngest seemed to think Gallipoli was some sort of disease that the soldiers saved us from!
ANZAC Day itself is on 25th April and marks the landing of troops at Gallipoli in 1915. I doubt we’ll be going to the main services which start at 6:00 a.m. on Friday, but there are a lot of Australian born people who do. Many lost family in both wars and the effects of the losses still reverberate through modern society as they did in Britain.
This is another time of reflection, but on a national scale rather than a personal one and with troops currently in both Iraq and Afghanistan is time we need. We have to ask ourselves if we’re willing to continue the commitment to ‘the cause’. For Afghanistan the answer is probably yes… for Iraq I’m not so sure.
Either way the troops carry the ANZAC spirit with them and even when we don’t support *why* they’re there fighting, they do at least know we support *them*.
The Eclectic Interweb 