November 11, 2011

THE ELEVENTH HOUR ON THE ELEVENTH DAY: REMEMBRANCE OF ALLIED SOLDIERS

Remembrance Day (Veterans Day, or Armistice Day) marks the official date in which World War I came to an end. It has since been observed as a national holiday or memorial every November 11th.

We have much to be thankful for and this day gives us the opportunity to honor our veterans and the fallen soldiers who have sacrificed so much for our country and for the free world. We remember and give thanks to these brave soldiers - those who fought in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and many other battles around the world.  Their sacrifices are immeasurable, their courage, great.  Remembrance Day is not intended to glorify warfare, but to recognize these exceptional men and women of valor, and to show our respect and deepest appreciation.

Wearing a red poppy is symbolic largely as a result of the famous poem, "In Flanders' Fields",  written by a Canadian doctor, and soldier, Lt. John McCrae. But more so because red poppies bloomed throughout many of the worst battlefields in Europe. It's red color is symbolic for the blood spilled in battles.  It has the same symbolism in the Polish song "Red Poppies on Monte Cassino" - a song that is very well-known and beloved to every Polish patriot, and reminiscent of the enormous loss of life in one of the greatest battles of World War II.

President Lincoln said it best when he made his famous Gettysburg Address:

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our power to add or detract.  The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."




6 comments:

  1. Hello.I was watching Remembrance Servis on BBC and this is how they mentioned about polish contribution in WWII : Edna Brunt said..I was a mechanic in one of the plains and they put me in the rear gunners at first and I didn't like it.I had to lay beside the pilot,
    who was Polish.He started to show off because I was beside him.
    Our Corprol had to tell him off.
    listen for yourself at 1:11:20
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01772nn/Remembrance_Sunday_the_Cenotaph_2011/

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  2. Surely you must know how inappropriate and disrespectful are your comments. If you have any doubts about the Polish contribution to the allied war effort, may I suggest that you spend some time reading the following links. This is just a primer. Or ask your local librarian or bookseller to recommend some books on the subject.

    http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/hist/history/polish.rhtm
    http://www.ww2.pl/Battle,of,Britain,and,the,Polish,Air,Force,138.html
    http://www.wwiipolishlhg.org/
    and read what children already know, in this revealing Forum called “History Help”
    http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/studentforum/index.php?showtopic=6410
    Incidentally, there are many monuments throughout England honouring the sacrifices of Polish pilots and armed forces - perhaps you should consider taking a tour.

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  3. You just misunderstood what I was trying to say.I'm pointing that BBC didn't mention any of polish contribution to the allied war effort.And it's very sad.I'm patriot and my knowledge is very good.But brits media always twist things around about polish veterans.Recently they (BBC) showed program about Enigma and no one mentioned us again.
    Thanks for the links.

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  4. If You can read polish this one is worth to check out.
    http://owp.org.pl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=290&Itemid=1

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  5. Hello! Now I understand - I took your comment out of context. You are quite right. The BBC has a habit of leaving out important facts about the Polish contributions. Case in point: a video by the BBC on July 15, 2011 "Queen pays tribute to Bletchley Park Enigma Code Breakers" actually claims that the Brits cracked the code! (at 45sec) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14166110
    However DiscoveryTV(UK)produced a video about the Enigma giving the Poles full acknowledgement and credit.
    See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU2s28-tN08
    I too am saddened by the fact that much of Poland's contributions to the allied war effort have been either forgotten, undermined, or ignored. BTW I have tried to log onto your link about Edna Brunt but I was blocked because I am not located in the UK. Many online BBC programs are not made accessible to North America.

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  6. Thank you for the link to Oboz Wielkiej Polski. I did read it though I must admit I translated it to English. Very interesting read covering various topics. Incidentally I wrote a blog about the plane crash that killed General Wladyslaw Sikorski, claiming that there was a Soviet conspiracy to eliminate him. The refusal by authorities to disclose secret files even today likely indicates that there was indeed a conspiracy.

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