Time zones being what they are, it is Memorial Day back in the States right now. I would just like to share one quote this year.
Robert Fletcher, who spent 33 months as a POW of the North Koreans (and who went from 180 pounds to 90 pounds in the process), is emphatic when asked if he would do it again (Ann Arbor News):
“I’d do it the same way,” he said. “Because we saved a democracy.”
(I hate to have to ask this; but can we please keep the ‘ingrate,’ ‘traitor’ and ‘death monger’ comments to a minimum.)
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m interviewing an Australian pilot tommorrow morning who spent 2 years as a POW in North Korea after getting shot down by a Russian ace. He ejected at 38,000 feet, landed in a field between 2 women, was attacked by soldiers, shot and killed one of them with his pistol, and then got captured. He was flying a gloster meteor (and wishing it was an American sabre!) He escaped a couple of times, but was recaptured, eventually getting repatriated in a prioner exchange.
Should be very interesting!
Happy memorial day to all the americans here btw. (If that’s the right expression for a pretty sober occasion). 54,000 US dead is a heavy price to pay in any context, but having been to North Korea, I tend to agree with the above soldier’s comments; the sacrifice was worthwile, even if it isn’t appreciated by those who benefited most from it. Peace!
God bless them all.
My best wishes to all involved and their families.
Memorial Day always provides a great opportunity to also remember the North and South Korean civilians who died during the war, as well as the soldiers of the UN force, North Korea and China who sacrificed their lives at the will of their political masters. And then there are also the people who did not die, but merely suffered, lost loved ones, limbs, homes, etc.
War is not nice, lest we forget.
On a technical note, why is there both a Memorial Day and a Veteran’s Day in the United States? Are they both federal holidays? Do they commemorate different things? Are they observed differently? Where I come from, the veteran’s usually hold a short parade, people lay wreaths on the memorial and someone reads out the Ode of Remembrance.
That is to say the fallen and those who survived are commemorated together.
@Eujin,
In the US, both Memorial Day and Veterans’ Day are federal holidays. However, Memorial Day is more widely observed with most schools taking the day off and parades in cities and towns across America. Memorial Day is traditionally for commemorating the war dead while Veterans’ Day honors anyone who served in the military, living or deceased.
#5,
I’m not American, but the way I understand it, Memorial Day is to honor those who have died in battle and Veterans Day is to honor those who’ve survived it.
Close but no cigar…
Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who perished while in military service to their country. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it was expanded after World War I to include casualties of any war or military action.
Veterans Day is an American holiday honoring military veterans. Both a federal holiday and a state holiday in all states, it is on the weekday closest to November 11th each year. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)
There are a lot of things one can find from a simple Wiki search…
Please excuse what may appear to be a trolling comment, but what other countries in the world have two national holidays a year to celebrate war mongering? China? Surely military dictatorships like North Korea have a few days dedicated to their military?
dong9chin9,
You are not excused and I am not going to take the troll bait except to say get a clue and try learning a bit of history before opening your virtual pie hole (comment #7 is a good start).
I think Sonagi deserves a cigar. Actually I had already read the wikipedia articles. I was just wondering from Americans’ personal experiences, how the two days are experienced differently (or the same).
In New Zealand there is commemoration of both Armistice Day (the 11th day of the 11th month) and ANZAC Day, but only ANZAC Day is a national holiday (or AAC Day, as you might be forgiven for thinking it was if you lived in Australia). There is supposedly a minutes silence (or two) on November 11th but it is not widely observed.
Dear Andy;
I’m sorry that you appear to have chosen to completely ignore my request for readers to “Please excuse what may appear to be a trolling comment,” or have failed to comprehend the underlying meaning of such a request. There is enough trouble in the world without any more angry white american males and I am sorry to have antagonized you and seemingly provoked a personal attack questioning my knowledge of history???? I’m also sorry but this is hardly the time and place to discuss whether the US is a war mongering nation or not.
Thank you Eujin for your comment, I was aware of many countries observing the anniversary of the end of WW1 (Known as Pepero Day here in Korea), and it is remarkable that New Zealand and Australia observe the slaughter of their own troops that was the Gallipolli landings.
Perhaps Andy would divulge a little of his vast knowledge and inform us of other nations that observe such a defeat in war. Many people around the world celebrate September 11, but the US has yet to make it a national holiday and there appears to be little movement to do so.
11: Commemorate not celebrate. You’re obviously trolling. If everyone would politely ignore this poster, this thread will turn out much better. Seriously.
I don’t agree with war. War is immoral. Soldiers like my grandfather would be the first to agree. And that’s exactly what makes them heroes. How can we, who have not experienced the horrors, judge them?
This is the sort of supercilious disingenuousness that justifies fishing with dynamite
Calling people trolls on the Internet is lazy. Sure you may disagree, or be angered by their typo or point of view, but labelling someone a troll and calling for that poster to be ignored suggests a laziness to engage.
A troll is like a weed, a plant in the wrong place.
I like this bit, it seems to make sense. “I don’t agree with war. War is immoral. Soldiers like my grandfather would be the first to agree.”
Not that there is anything wrong with the sentiment, but I cannot grasp the leap of logic that lead to the next statement. “And that’s exactly what makes them heroes.”
And then this one. “How can we, who have not experienced the horrors, judge them”
Fair comment, but not as strong as the others. Keep at it.
Perhaps we need to celebrate pacifists as much as we do militarists.
This is the sort of supercilious disingenuousness that justifies fishing with dynamite
LOL
It feels nice to be appreciated
Boys, boys, back on topic please!
#8,
Close but no cigar? I’d say I was dead-on.
Bub deserves a cigar as well.
i wonder how code pink celebrated memorial day????
One interesting thing about ANZAC Day, that deserves to be thought about on this Memorial Day (yesterday), is that the Turks allow the Kiwis and Aussies to commemorate the invasion of their homeland every year at ANZAC Cove in Gallipoli, despite the fact that the ANZACs sailed from the other side of the world to invade Turkey in order to support another country’s war with yet another country which all started due to a Serbian student assasinating an Austrian Archduke.
There are many reasons why the Turks do this, but I always thought that they deserve the utmost respect for it.
Along the same lines as #21, on the first Memorial Day observance (before it was a holiday) the US army commander had flowers placed at the graves of both Union and Confederate dead at Arlington National Cemetery. And it is hard not to be moved by this from the 50th anniversary of Gettysburg:
Yes, he may well be trolling but I found myself nodding when I read this:
Perhaps we need to celebrate pacifists as much as we do militarists.
#23,
They have the 363 other days of the year in the US.
#24,
Somebody obviously needs to remind the US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the warlords in Washington that sent them, and the fine peace-loving democratic electorate responsible for voting them in. Bin Laden is trying but the point doesn’t seem to be getting through.
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