TV Forum

we also celebrate with a remmberance day for our fallen soldiers. i will think of you today.
my sons godfather is in new zealand.

The world owes a debt to the Forces of all Commonwealth Countries
for their efforts and sacrifices in the Major conflicts of the last centuary.

even though its only the 24th here in Canada... the sacrifices are remembered

Lest We Forget.

Indeed

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

would'nt be living in the great coutry i am now if not for the great sacrifices they made how lucky we are


lest we forget

bump


lest we forget

Time dims the memory of ordinary events, but not great events. In a nation’s history,
great events - whether in peace or war - live in our memories regardless of time. They
are deemed great not necessarily for what they achieved, nor for whether they were
victories or successes. Rather, great events are distinguished by the quality of the
human endeavour they called upon, by the examples they create for ordinary men and
women, and by the legends they inspire.
So it is with ANZAC day.
On 25th April 1915, 16,000 New Zealanders and Australians surged ashore at the foot
of rugged cliffs on the Dardanelles peninsula, Turkey, to open a campaign intended to
give allied shipping access to the black sea, bring help to Russia, and perhaps force
Turkey out of the war.
It was - historians say - an ill-conceived campaign in pursuit of a vague objective,
premised on an under-estimation of the military prowess and character of the Turkish
soldiers, and of the tactical advantages they held.
But the cream of the New Zealand and Australian armies - volunteers all - committed
themselves with no hesitation about the nobility of their cause, and fought with great
courage, skill and audacity.
In the eight months that followed their first landing, some 50,000 ANZACs were
committed to the battlefront, alongside substantially more British, French and Indian
comrades. When the last of them was withdrawn as winter set in, about 11,000 New
Zealanders and Australians lay dead, and with them many more allied and Turkish
soldiers.
While the ANZAC’s withdrawal from Gallipoli was brilliantly planned and executed,
the campaign can not be described as anything but a defeat.
However, the achievements of the ANZACs can be measured in other than strategy,
tactics and battles. Their true achievements were in their courage, determination,
mateship and sacrifice. These were achievements that set standards that inspired their
countrymen for generations to follow. The legends they established gave fresh voice to new feelings of national pride in both young nations, and the news of their suffering,
on reaching the homes of anxiously awaiting families, brought people together in ways
they had not known before.
For New Zealanders and Australians, ANZAC is our own day.
It is a day that we mark the deeds of men and women who had come to see themselves
as New Zealanders and Australians, and who were mourned by people who regarded
themselves as New Zealanders and Australians.
The names on public memorials existing in virtually all our towns and cities are
important and regular reminders of the losses our nations felt in those darker days.
The ANZACs indeed command and deserve the respect and remembrance of present
and future generations of all New Zealanders and Australians, regardless of race, colour
or creed.
On every 25th of April, New Zealanders and Australians at home and abroad have
gathered to commemorate not just those ANZACs who died on that day, but all current
and former men and women of our Defence Force.
We remember on this day those who fell in both world wars, in conflicts in Korea,
Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam, and more recently in Afghanistan.
Duty, patriotism, individual sacrifice, and the affirmation of the New Zealanders
and Australian relationship are the enduring legacies of Gallipoli and all subsequent
conflicts involving our two nations.
The men and women who forged the ANZAC spirit made sure that those who led them
earned their respect. They all understood the values of independence, freedom and
fairness and - above all - possessed a willingness to defend these things if need be.
Because freedom only survives as long as people are willing to defend it.
That is the spirit ANZAC handed down to us. If we lose that ANZAC spirit, we lose all.
So here we stand today, along with thousands of others to honour great men and
women and a great tradition. We gather, as we shall always gather, not to glorify war,but to remind ourselves that we value who we are and the freedoms we possess, and to
acknowledge the courage and sacrifice of those who contributed so much in shaping the
identity of this proud nation, and those that continue to serve.



Lest We Forget.

Lest We Forget