Greetings,
Why is it that every time Australians decide to pay respect to their fallen soldiers some journalist has to jump up and down about war and what a waste it is? It happened on ANZAC Day, and big surprise there is an article in the Sydney Morning Herald by Peter FitzSimons doing the same thing, you can find the article here (https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/australia/comment-the-incontrovertible-truth-about-world-war-i/ar-BBPxljn). Like most journalistic articles about the First World War it focuses on the loss of life during the war and the damage to the soldiers which existed long after the war. Well, the same goes for all wars before and after, including the ones which we are fighting right now as I write.
I have a family history which is somewhat connected with wars. My great-uncle fought and died in France in the First World War, and my grandfather fought in the Second World War. I also have a cousin who is currently serving in the Royal Australian Navy, and I could not be more proud to be related to all of them. Further, I have friends who are or were soldiers, and I am proud to call these my friends. Needless to say, when someone like Mr FitzSimons, who mind you makes part of his money selling books about war, goes and "reveals the truth" about the First World War in such a fashion it tends to strike a nerve, especially on this day of all days. It could have been left for tomorrow, but then it would not have caused an impact and that is what he was looking for.
A person does not write a book about the exact war he is calling a waste without knowing the details of it. What also needs to be known is that this Remembrance Day is not just for World War I, though today is special as it is the centenary of the Armistice, but it is for all wars. It is a time to pay respect for what our servicemen and women have done for us, and also for what our servicemen and women are still doing for us to this day and into the future. Any school-child who has studied their history, and who has sat through the lesson on the First World War knows that the tactics were not appropriate for the technology, and that the loss of life, on all sides of the conflict was severe. An entire generation of young men was lost, what more needs to be said?
To be sure there was a catastrophic loss of life between 1914 and 1918, and I am not sure whether we have really learnt the lessons which this war taught. It sure taught us some lessons which were taken in, but it also delivered some others which were to result in another war some 21 years later, that could be clearly laid at the feet of the so-called "victors" of this war. War and civilisation are something which go hand in hand throughout history and cannot be separated. We have the propensity for killing one another for one reason or another.
However, within that horrible story though, there are stories which can be told which were not even mentioned as they might have showed some level of achievement. There is one, toward the beginning. To put into contrast against Mr FitzSimons, there is another article, "Australian Diggers more likely to have fought as heroes for king than Allies, research shows" (https://www.news.com.au/national/australian-diggers-more-likely-to-have-fought-as-heroes-and-for-king-than-allies-research-shows/news-story/e26f51e39e6d9669ec5bb8eb21e2015f). It discusses how knowing that they were limited to 66 characters on their headstones, the families of the fallen Australians wanted them to appear as heroes, as according to a British study of headstones. To be sure the positive stories and the stories of heroes and self-sacrifice for another are the rare ones, but this is the same for all wars.
To put it in perspective, this day of all days, aside from ANZAC Day, is a day where the servicemen and women should be honoured. They should be placed in positions of honour. On these days servicemen and women should be thanked for their service. Thank for what they have done whether they have seen battle or not, because in joining the services they have committed themselves to putting their bodies on the line if called. This is what it means to be in the military and anyone who has not been in the same situation has no right to be saying anything negative about any service personnel on this of all days.
Cheers,
Henry.
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