h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

In the UK, today is Remembrance Day. It's the day on which the fallen are remembered and homage paid.

In the US, today is Veterans Day. It's the day on which the nation says thank you to its retired and former military staff.

Are my interpretations of the two accurate?

In the US, Memorial Day honors the fallen. Veteran's Day originally honored thosed killed in war, but it has evolved to honor all veterans. There is a description of patriotic US days here:

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=cmty.levelc&cid=140&tok=1

“a celebration to honor America's veterans

for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for

the common good.” http://www.appc1.va.gov/vetsday/page.cfm?pg=3

While it seems that the American was emphasises the living veterans, I detect a hint of honouring the dead.

I suspect the British emphasis is similar to the Canadian one: http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/031111/w111124.html (perhaps without the pizza delivery)

simulpost.

I'd like to think that the rememberance was to remember those who died in all wars, not just those who were british. I hope so anyway.

well i take Rememberance day to remember all those who died defending our way of life today. i think it is natural to lean towards your own countries fallen more than anothers but i think the world generally unites when remembering those of the first and second world wars.


also, Rememberance day in Britain is tending towards remembering all servicemen and women lost in conflict in whatever battle the commentators at this years service in Hyde Park referred to the soldiers lost in the Iraqi war and the war against terrorism several times.

Remembrance day observations.

Back in my Punk-Student days I wore a German Army Greatcoat - straight out of the "Great Escape from Colditz" type of film. I also wore a Poppy every November for Remembrance Day.

I found the veterans who sold the Poppies round Preston (where I studied) all took the view that it honoured ALL veterans, allies & axis, and were, paradoxically more pacificist from having fought than the lecturers at the Uni who thought it somehow offensive to have a German pattern coat with a 'Haig fund' poppy on it's lapel. Don't exactly know how that fits into the wider context of your thread, but it's the truth as I found it.

Don't know what I'm officially supposed to think on 11 Nov but my mind runs on things like the futility and needless horror of war. The image of the countless thousands purposelessly slaughtered im WW1 is something never far away on these occasions - not an image of heros (though many of them incidenatlly were) but of poor sods with no choice being driven into the mouths of machine guns manned by other poor sods with no choice. And the leaders on both sides not giving a **** who was killed or who suffered back home from their loss.

I don't think they didn't care. It was just that at the time they could think of no other way.

Would you climb up out of that trench and walk towards the opposing trench - knowing what was going to happen ?

People are so strange