To be conflicted about Remembrance Services?

[PaddlingSwan]

I have friends and family on both sides.

It's about showing respect, the words they gave their tommorows for our today's come to mind.

If you are conflicted don't engage, leave it to those who wear poppies, and respect remembrance day.

It’s one day a year.

"can we just not play on WW2"

We don't. Remembrance Day is set on the day it is to mark the end of World War I and commemorates the sacrifices of service members in both World Wars and all subsequent conflicts.

Nearly 400,000 service personnel died in WW 2. There's no 'playing' in remembering those people. It's deadly serious.

'I feel the UK makes too much of the whole thing.'

Approximately 80million deaths in WW2 alone. 80million people dead. This is very clearly a fishing trip/wind up post by the OP but seriously, you have stooped so low as to taking the piss on this subject. Well congrats, you have hooked me in with your rage bait. That line has to be the single most vile and disrespectful sentence I have ever read on this site. You truly are the lowest of the low. Kindly fuck off.

It's not about WW2. It's not about sides.

I wish everyone who has a problem with Remembrance actually understood what it seeks to commemorate...

There are several European countries that make so much of a fuss at the end of the war, that they have national holidays on 8th May to commemorate the end of WW2. And have services of remembrance at the many many many allied military cemetries there.

In my village, we mark the Volkstrauertag (as i said, next week on 16th) at our war memorial. And all the fallen in all wars are remembered. And we are welcome there even though (or maybe especially since) everyone in the village knows we are both ex(british) forces.

I too am conflicted but for different reasons. My father was in Singapore in the 2nd WW. He refused to wear a poppy or have anything to do with remembrance events.

Get over yourself

the 11th minute
of the 11th hour
on the 11th day
of the 11th month

is about rather more than your family member

I've always thought remembrance has as much as, if not more of sometimes, a focus on WWI, to be honest.

My uncle is the same about medals he won while serving.

Scratched them all then binned them.

Has nothing to do with remembrance.

I guess those who have seen things that affect them long term don't always come out with a positive impression of the armed forces.

I regard it as being for all the fallen, OP. My problem with it is that the marching bands and the emotions of the day are not directing hearts and minds towards peace and “never again“ but into, if people aren’t careful, a patriotism that does not put peace at its forefront. War, any war, all war, is horrific.

Also, whilst I’m aware of the benefits to children of organised hobbies and all that stuff, I simply cannot bring myself to get a poppy from children in military uniform. I know they’re cadets and I know that all this is good for self discipline all the rest of it, but the sight of children in uniform is repellent to me.

"Short days ago..
Loved and were loved."

🇨🇦🍁

Then surely you want to remember him, any other conscripted German relatives caught up in WW1 and WW2 and your English relatives. Germany have a very healthy attitude towards WW2. They don’t feel conflicted. They remember their dead and thank God Hitler lost the war. When I was a child, my German exchange family took me to have tea with his grandfather who was a PoW in England during WW2. He had nothing but fond memories of his time here and there was no sense of awkwardness in my sharing that my grandfather had been in the RAF.

I worry that we are heading for an American style attitude to the armed forces, and not enough focus on the horrors of war.

I also don't really like that our local Remembrance thing is led by the local vicar and is too religious for our modern plural society. There's a church service afterwards too, which is fine as people opt in to that.

But the rise of populism across the world makes remembering war really important.

We SHOULD remember it. For a while I didn’t think so, but the rise of far right ideology means that we must remember the hideousness of them. Of course, it isn’t convenient today for those of a similar mindset.

You’re conflicted about WW2? About whether it was a good thing the Allied forces defeated the Nazis?

fuck me.

This poem remains moving over a century on. It sends shivers through my body. Two great frat uncles of mine died in Flanders fields. My children were taken on school trips and could give their names in advance, so they could see them. Lest we forget.

I have dual nationality both sides suffered.

Indeed. That doesn’t reduce the need for remembrance. My German exchange’s mother told me how the invading soviets raped and pillaged their way across the country. She had a beautiful 18th century sideboard saved o it because her grandmother covered it in tar and shoved it in the cow shed. Everything else precious they owned was stolen.

Remembrance Day is about remembering the dead of ALL wars and conflicts, not just WW2.
Both my DC have served, one in Afghanistan, and my DH’s Bestie was involved in the Falkland conflict. Several of his friends were involved in both Gulf Wars. We will remember, lest we forget.
It’s important so another WW doesn’t happen, which, if we forget, it’s more likely!

This

We see you. Off you trot.

This. So many times people who complain are missing the point. It’s not a celebration of war. It’s Remembrance Day.

The causes?

What are you actually trying to say op?

Your vague, faux naive drip feed is very annoying and as clear as day.

Totally agree

What a mad post. You are aware the Germans also do Remembrance, and they're not mourning the Nazis. They - and the rest of Europe, and much of the rest of the world - are standing together to mourn the loss of life, the hatred, bigotry, and senselessness of war, and vowing Never Again. And you don't want to stand with them in case it offends fans of the Nazis? Right-o.