Lest we forget

Remembrance Day 2008 Remembrance Day is always observed on 11 of November, in Australia although the day is not a public holiday. Services are held at 11am at war memorials in suburbs and towns across the country, at which "Last Post" is sounded by a bugler and a one-minute silence is observed. They shall grow not old as we that are left grow old Age shall not weary them nor the year’s condemn At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them Lest we forget Recently road works in Gallipoli have uncovered the remains of soldiers killed there in 1915 during World War I. Australians from all walks of life have expressed concern about our diggers’ last resting place being disturbed. This tells me at least that the ANZAC legend has been embraced by most Australians and going strong. But with Remembrance Day (November 11) tomorrow we need to include those from the Vietnam War as part of this legend. It seems there are those who still make a “distinction” between Gallipoli and Vietnam, even though there are similarities. The Gallipoli campaign, fought on the shores of Turkey and starting on April 25, 1915, involved Australian soldiers being sent to invade a foreign state, the Turkish Ottoman Empire, and ease the pressure on our then ally Russia. These soldiers and sailors by the way volunteered to go to bat for a country most had never seen, we were part of the British Empire then. The eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month is also remembered by many military from many countries besides British, Canadian, South African and the USA. The whole stanza which contains the ode can be read on this site Lest we forget