[rollei_list] Re: Veterans' Day/Armistice Day/Remembrance Day

"The British Empire used to have a pause of two 
minutes at 11 AM on 11 NOV in memory of those who 
sacrificed in the Great War"

I remember the two minutes from the time I was a little boy and that was in New 
York.  One year (1943?) I was with my mother when she went shopping at Macy's 
in Manhattan.  At 11:00. everyone stood silently for those several minutes (in 
the store).  Of course, everyone also had on  their minds what was happening 
elsewhere in the world.  The Great War was not the "'war to end all wars" 
unfortunately.

John



----- Original Message ----
From: Marc James Small <marcsmall@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 1:52:24 PM
Subject: [rollei_list] Veterans' Day/Armistice Day/Remembrance Day

The Armistice which ended the First World War 
went into effect at 11:00 AM on 11 NOV 1918, Zone 
Time.  As a result, 11 NOV has become a holiday 
in the Allied and Associated Nations.  The French 
celebrate it.  The Belgians celebrate it.  The 
British and the nations which constitute their 
shards of Empire celebrate it.  And the USians celebrate it.

It is a day dedicated to different things in 
different lands.  In the US, it is a day to honor 
the contributions of all US veterans -- we 
celebrate our war dead and wounded in May, on 
Memorial Day.  In other nations, it is a day more 
focused on those killed or wounded in the service of their nations.

I am a veteran of military service, having been 
involved in the US forces in some form directly 
from 1968 until 1994, when I was retired from our 
Army Reserve about the time this List got revved 
up, back in 1994.  I am currently the Provost 
Marshal of the Virginia Defense Force, an unarmed 
adjunct to the Virginia National Guard -- we are 
the halt and the lame!  But an ancestor was the 
Adjutant of the Virginia Regiment during the 
Seven Years' War, and the Virginia Regiment is 
the direct predecessor of the Virginia Defense 
Force, so I seem to belong.  Hell, I don't get 
paid, so I told 'em I'd do it as long as it was fun.

The British Empire used to have a pause of two 
minutes at 11 AM on 11 NOV in memory of those who 
sacrificed in the Great War.  This fell into 
abeyance for some decades but there have been 
recent efforts, I understand, to revive it.

In any event, I hope that all will honor this day 
for what it means, a memorial to those who spent 
so much of themselves in wars.  I am not 
suggesting that wars are logical or that war is a 
desirable part of life but, as has been noted, 
(Aescylus, perhaps?  Daniel probably can pin the 
citation down.), "only the dead have seen the end of war".

Be in peace!

Marc


msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Cha robh bàs fir gun ghràs fir!

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