Remembrance Day

[thomastronics]

As you all know today is Remembrance day.

Any stories of what your grandparents did in WW2?

My grandfather was an aviation engineer and built motors for planes as part of the war effort. Didn't go over seas at all.
My other grandfather was drafted and did training but didn't go over seas as the time he finished training he wasn't needed. (Lucky guy)

And today is a holiday any of you cats have the day off?

 

[Brades]

My grandfathers were born in the mid 1930's so they were too young Mad respect to everyone who serves for their country past and present.

 

[iSeize]

My grandparents were 10 years old
-via tapatalk

 

[halfbakedchef]

My one grandfather worked as an egineer on Navy ships, mainly destroyers
My other grandfather worked in a plant that built tanks

 

[Glocky]

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My grandfather, whom I never met as he died when my mom was 16, served in WWI. Attached is his induction papers.
Across the family, various uncles, aunts and cousins have served. My mom was a Navy nurse and my dad was Army (notable assignments Cypress and during the FLQ Crisis)

It's a little surreal... I thought about military service, but at the age that I would have done it, I was too busy being pissed at my dad, so I had to do something else.

 

[$alvador]

my grandparents were in Europe living this shit, they didn't have the luxury of gearing up for war, it was just upon them. this is honestly the one day of the year that I hate because everyone is in PATRIOT MODE and I feel like Kramer in that Seinfeld episode where he doesn't want to wear the AIDS ribbon. Respect to the vets for being victims of circumstance and taking it in stride but for fuck's sake if you want to sell me a poppy pin at least put a little effort into the design so it doesn't fall out of my lapel in five minutes.

 

[Brades]

.....

 

[Steve]

My grandfather served in North Africa, Normandy(D-day), and France in the 998th tank destroyers battalion.

They heard news of a Nazi machine gun emplacement down the road a few miles so my grandfather was dispatched with a rifle to go check it out and clear it. As it turned out it was 3 machine guns, and a light tank. My grandfather was shot in the head by the tanks gunner. He was presumed dead by all his comrades and the military. My grandmother even received a "KIA" letter from the government. When the nurses were loading bodies onto the 'corpse' trucks to transport back to the local base( hours after he was shot, after the position was cleared with artillery and tank support) they happened to notice his body twitch and they took him off the truck and rushed him to a military hospital. He survived, and went AWOL from the hospital while in recovery to return to his unit and continue serving. When he returned to camp and found his platoon they thought he was a ghost(they had been told he had died those weeks earlier). He was awarded the purple star.

He also received a Silver star for actions of selflessness in France, risking his safety to save the lives of his men from a mortar/mg crew that had them pinned in a hedgerow.


If that nurse had not seen him twitch, I would not be here today.

Wish I had his memoirs up here at school with me, some very interesting stories from WW2 and the 40's.

 

[thomastronics]

No hate here man.
Just curious of what stories people have about that time.
And no I didn't start this thread on Patriot mode.

Glocky thats awesome. DOB 1891... so old

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Sal I don't get your comment... you're saying your family was involved (I'm european as well, as mine was involved too), but you hate the day? I don't get it...

@ all, cool stories, I find it all so interesting :)

 

[Glocky]

Glocky thats awesome. DOB 1891... so old

Well, some of that is because I am older than most here (40, will be 41 in Feb.), some is because my mom is the youngest in her family. Her mom was born in 1902 and lived to 2003. (101 years!).
She had kids so she didn't need to get a driver's license. She lived in her own home until she was 99, cooking with cast iron fry pans. Crazy strong woman, funny as hell.
Wish I knew my grandfather, as the one on my dad's side was an arse.

As to "patriot mode"... I live and breathe Canadian pride every day. I have my flags up at work year-round and I don't put up with bashing of Canada, let alone any one. Really don't need to put any group down to make your own feel better or the like.

@Sal. Put a Canadian pin through the centre and reuse it year after year and donate just to help the veterans instead.

I would gladly give up Remembrance Day in exchange for there never have been the wars, conflicts and human atrocities, that caused those lives to be lost that we remember and honour.

 

[$alvador]

Sal I don't get your comment... you're saying your family was involved (I'm european as well, as mine was involved too), but you hate the day? I don't get it...

Because it's symbolic, just like Earth day is symbolic, and yet self-righteous assholes who probably don't even know what the poppy symbolizes start crawling out of the woodwork on this day to harass (or at my workplace, to judge behind your back) everyone who isn't wearing a poppy.

I learned more than the average person my age about the suffering of Canadian servicemembers, not just in WWI but from the Boer War through to the Korean conflict, and it's an honour to be, by citizenship, affiliated with the high standard of conduct and bravery displayed by them all, but when I think of the end of WWI I think of the Treaty of Trianon which devasted my home country to this day and when I think of the end of WWII I can't help but remember the Allies catching the first boat home and leaving Europe to the Communists.

This might have been a victory for all the Commonwealth people who had the luxury of returning home to islands/continents far from the influence of the genocidal sociopaths left clawing over the tattered remains of Europe, but it wasn't no fuckin good memory for anyone who lived there.

It's all a matter of perspective, and as someone who grew up learning about both opposing perspectives, my feelings about this day are too dark and topsy-turvy to just be able to pin a poppy on my chest and choose what to remember. The last thing I need is all those self-righteous, ignorant assholes coming at me with their blind patriotism. That's why I can't stand this day.

 

[Brades]

So bitter... just imagine if the allies did not liberate europe...


Why don't you go back to Europe?

 

[dead mike]

basically can never go back once your on the list, 1993ish my grandparents went back and didnt even want to get off the plane, thats why.

+1 salvador, i feel the same way

 

[OG buckshot jr]

Sal, I understand where you're coming from, but perhaps your perspective on Remembrance Day is a little skewed. This day is not to remember a "victory", because frankly, there wasn't one. It's not to remember that this was the date where the war "ended", because it did not in many places. It IS, in fact, up to you to chose what to remember, if anything at all. See, my perspective leads me to believe that Remembrance Day is about remembering what happened, and to never forget it, and the all of the people who died at 'it's' expense, and most importantly to never let it happen again. That is the reason I might choose to wear a poppy.

However, I do completely agree on the whole 'assholes judging' thing, because I feel people here have zero fucking right to tell me what's up without me asking them. I couldn't care less for North American "pride" ($).

EDIT: Oh, and aren't you one of those people who are nice and comfortable on one of those far away islands/continents that you speak of? I'm pretty sure we all are, here... That's kind of like those black kids at my highschool telling me about slavery (back in the day) and busting black pride in my face, while they wear their brand new Nike shoes and expensive jeans and watches... Shit like that always pissed me off a lot. We never had anything to do with it, we're all too young for that :/

 

[iCe]

So bitter... just imagine if the allies did not liberate europe...


Why don't you go back to Europe?

+1...

 

[$alvador]

I should move to Europe because there are a lot of self-righteous assholes on November 11th? That makes complete sense.

Sal, I understand where you're coming from, but perhaps your perspective on Remembrance Day is a little skewed. This day is not to remember a "victory", because frankly, there wasn't one. It's not to remember that this was the date where the war "ended", because it did not in many places. It IS, in fact, up to you to chose what to remember, if anything at all. See, my perspective leads me to believe that Remembrance Day is about remembering what happened, and to never forget it, and the all of the people who died at 'it's' expense, and most importantly to never let it happen again. That is the reason I might choose to wear a poppy.

But a few years after the armistice of WWI there was WWII where even more millions died, and right now while everyone's wearing a poppy we're remembering the 100,000+ new Canadian casualties in this Afghan war, "liberating" a country we're not even as close to winning over as the Russians were in the 80s.

I can't imagine what all these 20 year olds have in their head when they're going off to die for their country. They haven't even lived long enough to have much to be thankful for and they're already being given guns and taking orders.

EDIT: Oh, and aren't you one of those people who are nice and comfortable on one of those far away islands/continents that you speak of? I'm pretty sure we all are, here... That's kind of like those black kids at my highschool telling me about slavery (back in the day) and busting black pride in my face, while they wear their brand new Nike shoes and expensive jeans and watches... Shit like that always pissed me off a lot. We never had anything to do with it, we're all too young for that :/

I'm a first-gen Canadian so yea, it does affect me when my parents had to leave our family behind because Communists were threatening to kill them.

That almost plays like a sick joke when you consider the Russians were supposedly part of the Allies "liberate" Europe. Liberate from the Nazis of course, to give to Communists as a gift. Good show.

 

[commander abdul]

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

If you don't know what this is, google it.

Don't spit on the memories of those who give their lives to protect and/or liberate others, or the memories of the casualties of war. This isn't just about patriotism, it's about much more.

The presence of Canadian troops in Afghanistan didn't magically make the Taliban disappear, but they brought help to a country most of the world forgot since the cold war. If you can't see why Canadian troops are willing to sacrifice their lives there, it's because you choose not to.

 

[dead mike]

we are only in Afghanistan for those sweet Delicious poppies that grow there and only hate the Taliban cause they don't allow them to grow. sorry for postin i think this is somthing we already knew.

 

[Kymap!]

My grandfather designed some of the planes they used during the wars. Does that count?