Today.....

Today is Veterans Day (US) or Remembrance Day (UK) or Armistice Day

It is a day meant to celebrate those all who fought and sometimes died fighting wars:

The Great War (WWI)
The Second World War (WWII) [My Father's war]
The Korean Conflict
The Vietnam War [My war]
The many, too many Middle East war

There is really nothing to celebrate, unless you or a relative came home safely or at all.

FUCK WARS

FUCK FUCK FUCK WARS ALL FUCKING WARS

We don't need a moment of silence to commemorate the heroes, the dead, the wounded, the survivors

WE NEED A DAY, A YEAR, A LIFETIME OF ANGER SO THERE ARE NO MORE WARS

I apologize for the above post.

I suffer a form of PTSD called 'Survivor's Guilt'. I try to lessen the tears that tend to flow on this day by watching war movies. Today, it is an excellent series called 'The Pacific' about the Marines who fought and took back much of the Japanese captured islands during WWII.

I know it might seem strange to watch war movies, but it is my cathartic and it allows the tear duct to get cleansed out for another year.

It doesn't work.

Hi Miki!!!

No need to apologise, coz....

I HATE WAR TOO!!!!!!

Celia xx

They call it "Remembrance Day" in Canada.

I wish I had the option to not remember it the other 364 days of the year.
I've been in uniform. I'm glad I have no experiences to remember.

There have been wars we have stupidly called 'good' wars. There are no good wars though.

WW1 was a stupid war of stupid treaties doing our thinking for us.
WW2 was a second stage result of the first one.
Korea was NOT a police action.
Vietnam was fickle politics in action.
The Gulf might have ended well politically, but politicians lack brains.
Afganistan is proof politicians don't learn history.
All the Middle East wars are not the equal of the partitioning of India. But there was no oil or Jews involved, so it never got much attention unless you are Hindu or Muslim.
And that's why no one knows much about tragedies like those in Rwanda or South East Asia.

I suffer from vicarious trauma thanks to learning too much for one mind to hold.
Humans are a vicious species too often.

I will fight as a Canadian for my own values for other Canadians who share those values.
I won't necessarily fight for the Canadian Government. It changes too easily.
I love my land, I don't necessarily love politicians, even Canadian ones.
I served as a means to an end, I needed the job.
I won't follow orders blindly though.
My loyalty is to my values only.

I was young and ignorant once. I saw friends go into the military and come out worse for it. I respect those who have given in the service of others. But I can't help but cry that we need young people to sacrifice at all and give so little back to them.

Miki please don't apologise. Survivors carry the truth when others wish to twist it for their own ends.