Poppy wearing

[HappyAgainOneDay]

I was in town today and waited for a friend who didn't turn up because she'd forgotten for half an hour. Opposite me in a shopping Mall was a poppy table and two servicemen behind it. I began to look at people passing and was amazed at the huge number of people who were not wearing a poppy. Far more were not sporting a poppy than those who were.

I then realised that those without poppies were mostly on the younger side of the population - say, 40 and younger. Do they not realise what we are remembering? Yes, the poppies represent those who died but the general reason for the charity now is that the funds collected go to service people who've lost limbs or are otherwise disabled. The families of those who never came back are also helped. AIBU for thinking that more should wear a poppy with pride?

Americans don't just go round shooting children either. What a horrible thing to say

Where did I say that?

I've just finished watching the service from the Cenotaph. There are quite a few politicians who I wonder can stand there without curling up in shame.
It's made me think that none of us deserve to wear a poppy. Those who fought in the Great War did it, hoping it would be the war to end all wars. We all could be kinder, more tolerant, help to reduce the social conditions that lead to war. We could be more careful in who we vote for, we could make the effort to vote at all, we could protest more strongly when governments want to start wars. There's so much talk today about sacrifice and about people giving their all. If we gave a fraction of what they did in trying to stop war today we might live up to their memory. I think that would be a much more fitting tribute than wearing a poppy once a year and then forgetting again.

You are implying that if he was British he wouldn't have. The fact is he had no choice. Unless he wanted himself and all his men to die. That's what wars likeZ

Well, all the hysteria and poppy facism, and supporting our boys shite will be over for another year soon.

Nothing on this earth would induce me to wear a red poppy. My sympathies are with those who were conscripted, and had no choice. I don't extend any such sympathy or understanding to those involved in modern conflicts.

The British army's behaviour in NI and the Falklands was despicable, and as for Iraq, and Agfhanastan. There are no words..

Eve, who is a soldier, said he would have been removed from duty, so what more do you want?

I didn't say what you said I did, did I?

I shall continue supporting our boys Celticlass, for the rest of my life, especially my boy.

.

I vote in every election in remembrance of our girls who fought for my freedoms.

I'd wear a pink poppy any day!

Now we need to continue the fight for equal pay.

Celtic what exactly was wrong with our behaviour in the Falklands?

Like many other posters I would willingly contribute to funds for the few left from WW2 and those conscriped into the army to fight in the north African campaign and other campaigns that carried on a little past 1945. The survivors are now few in number and those who are still in hardship as a result must be far fewer too. Since conscription ended ( I think 1960?) all our soldiers have been volunteers, accepting they will be required to kill and fight in unjust or illegal wars as an acceptable trade off to getting a good job.

My final decision not to contribute came with "Help for Heroes" I'm sure there are some heroes but most soldiers are simply doing a job, a job they have chosen presumaby with their eyes wide open. I'm sure the army and the state do far more for them financialy than they do for other people who are hurt in the sorts of accidents where there is no liability.

I find it strange that if a civillian is murdered/injured the press always stress that they were ordinary, "the nice bloke next door" as the highest accolade. When military personell are killed they are never the ordinary person just doing their job, they have to be boosted up as heroes. Some of those who died must have been good at their jobs, some must have been pretty terrible, but in death socieity elevates them all to hero status.

Don't get me started on "cadets" brainwashing children into military life is pretty obscene.

Help For Heroes and the RBL are totally seperate.

The RBL don't just help the people who were injured in conflict. They help everyone who has had a connection with the military. DS2 could go to them for help if he needed it because DH and DS1 have served. So could I. If the state really were doing what they should, do you really, really think there would be a need for the RBL?

I will be forever grateful that people volunteer to join up, knowing that their employer won't provide them with even the most basic kit they require, knowing that they will have to make massive sacrifices and knowing that the pay really ain't that great, because if they didn't we'd go back to conscripts.

Cadets do not brainwash children at all. They don't grab them off the streets and force them to do it. The children go there, voluntarily with the consent of their parents!

I shall support British Servicepeople, their familes and their dependants until the day I die.

I do so by making a monthly donation to Service Charities (plural), buying a poppy (or 10 ) on 1 Nov, going to church/cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday and holding a minutes silence in Respect at 1100hrs on 11/11.

I don't really care what anyone else does.

I do care when people make spurious unfounded accusations against the British Military, question their motives or their loyalty or blame them for Government policies and actions that they have no control over.

I support all those servicepeople, veterans, families and dependants who have been hurt by war or conflict - no matter which conflict it was. They had no choice but to deploy, their families had no choice and their dependants even less.

They need my support and I am happy to set aside my dislike or disagreement with the Government to give it - they did not ask for nor expect war/death/injury. They just did their duty as they promised to do when they gave their oath of allegiance.

What was wrong with the British Govt's behaviour in the Falklands?

How short memories are.

Has everyone forgotten the sinking of the Belgrano?

I do care when people make spurious unfounded accusations against the British Military

Try googling Bloody Sunday

Maybe the people you saw already bought a poppy and lost it 5 times one year

Or maybe they donated to the charity but left the poppy on their other coat.

Or maybe their baby tried to eat it.

Or maybe they just prefer to donate to other charities.

I agree there is nothing remotely glorious about war and the various members of my family who are in the forces would agree with that too.

I think it's naieve in the extreme to think we can always avoid it though.

And with regard to "Help for Heroes" and simply assuming ...

"the army and the state do far more for them financially than they do for other people who are hurt in the sorts of accidents where there is no liability."

Don't you believe it!

Up until recently the provision for wounded soldiers (after the initial period of injury and recuperation) was pretty woeful tbh and is still very patchy in some areas. The provision for mental health issues such as post traumatic stress is still pretty poor.

That is the whole point of these campaigns and why they deserve support.

Yes, soldiers are doing a job, and sign up knowing the risks. But there aren't many jobs that involve endangering your life or becoming severely disabled at a very young age.

And because serving in the forces is so distinct from civilian life, when soldiers can no longer work due to sickness or injury they not only lose their income but their friends, their pride, their status, their whole reason for being sometimes.

For all the reasons above, I'm proud to wear a poppy and just because we have reasonable stability in W. Europe atm, we shouldn't imo assume that will always be the case.

I then realised that those without poppies were mostly on the younger side of the population - say, 40 and younger. Do they not realise what we are remembering?

DH's grandfather served in WWII, was there on D-Day and horribly wounded, yet DH choses not to wear a poppy because he doesn't like the 'my country right or wrong' crap some people project onto it. Not everyone feels that poppies are the best way to remember.

Forgot to say, the last people in the world to big up the "hero" thing are the serving soldiers themselves.

Celticlass2 and AskBasil

I suggest you speak to a Falkland Islander. I spoke to lots of them and was almost embarrassed at how grateful they are for our giving them the amount of support that we did. It made me pleased that we did go to 'help them out'.

As for the Belgrano, what about HMS Sheffield, HMS Glamorgan, HMS Ardent, HMS Antelope, HMS Coventry, RFA Sir Galahad, HMS Fearless? They were all lost and sunk. And what about the merchant ship Atlantic Conveyor, which was taking supplies and was sunk in the Atlantic with the loss of everyone on board.

Take yourself there and you'll find out how much our presence means to those who lived through it.

Add message | Report | Message poster TooManyMochas Sun 09-Nov-14 13:49:03
I do care when people make spurious unfounded accusations against the British Military

Try googling Bloody Sunday

I don't blame today's British Military and their families for the actions of a group of soldiers over 40 years ago.

well, I wore a white poppy for the first time this year. I wasn't going to bother, but am really glad I did. I will be doing the same next year. {smile]

My great grandfather died in ww1. I won't wear a poppy because I feel it is no longer about wars that men had no choice but to fight in. Those men deserve our upmost respect. They had no choice. In modern days I can't stand the hero worship that goes on so I won't wear a poppy that seems to be part of that hero worship. Men and women these days choose the army as a job. They choose it. Yes I am well aware people died to give us those choices. It's those people I respect. The people who had no choice. I will remember them in my own way. I have read a lot of ww1 books to try to get some understanding of what my great grandfather went through. It's beyond words.

Agree begin those poor souls who had no choice have my sympathy and more. I can't imagine there are many of them left now.