I wandered thru a country town, ‘cos I had some time to spare,
And went into an Antique Shop to see what was in there.
Old Bikes and Pumps and Kero lamps, but hidden by it all,
A photo of a soldier boy …. An Anzac on the Wall.
Tragically Pilot Officer Henry Dudley Andrews (age 24) died today 68 years ago - He served on peacekeeping duties in Korea from 11 November 1953 to 31 May 1954.
Read more: Lest We Forget - Henry Dudley Andrews
Today we remember Lieutenant Marcus Sean Case, 27.
Lieutenant Case 8254464 was accidentally killed in a Helicopter Crash in Zabul Province, Afghanistan during Operation Slipper 30 May 2011. He was taking part in a routine mission when the helicopter was forced to make an uncontrolled landing.
In the red fields of the Somme, millions of poppies wave under the wind, flowers on which so many young men shed their blood and lie down to rest in peace on the soils of France.Today the poppies are the symbols of a generation of men who fought and fell here, they are the strong and eternal symbol of Remembrance in which we are united to honor and bring back to life these young boys who had as only youth,the muddy trenches and the battlefields of the Great War on which they gave their today for our tomorrow and on which they now rest in peace, side by side under the stones of their white graves on which are inscribed and remembered their names, their stories that we will keep alive so that these men will live forever and never be forgotten, so that who they were and what they did for us, their lives, their courage and their sacrifices will never be forgotten.
I wandered thru a country town, ‘cos I had some time to spare,
And went into an Antique Shop to see what was in there.
Old Bikes and Pumps and Kero lamps, but hidden by it all,
A photo of a soldier boy …. An Anzac on the Wall.
These are men of the 1st Cav Div in Vietnam on a fire base after an all night attack that almost overrun the place. The story and the eyes apply to any soldier who experiences the same sort of event.
I served along side the Anzacs in 67-68 and saw those eyes amongst them. The eyes have no nationality.
Read more: Under Fire - the Eyes Have It. The Thousand Yard Stare
JFK'S Secretary of State, Dean Rusk, was in France in the early 60's when DeGaulle decided to pull out of NATO.
DeGaulle said he wanted all US military out of France as soon as possible.
Rusk responded "Does that include those who are buried here?"
You could have heard a pin drop
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~
Read more: A poignant reminder - you could have heard a pin drop
The Battle of Long Tan took place on August 18th, 1966 in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. After attacks on their base at Nui Dat, 108 men from D Company of 6RAR were patrolling in the area of the Long Tan rubber plantation. Shortly after 4 pm, they were met by a large force of over 2,000 Viet Cong soldiers who attacked with mortars, rifle and machine gun fire.
I watched a short video this morning of a 100 year old veteran who broke down in tears at what the world had become.
It broke my heart to see him so full of despair and grief. As one person said " Thank God for seniors who've served who can tell us firsthand about history and give us their wisdom. Thank You Marine and World War II veteran Carl Dekel. Happy 100th birthday. These aren't the selfish tears of someone who never grew up ... we see too much of that. This is the despair of someone who loves, knows and cares."
Read more: What has happened to our world? " This is not the country I fought for"
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