%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
For the avoidance of doubt... Yes... I definitely have an opinion... |
| Prompt: Memorial Day - Waterloo, NY was the town. which first celebrated the Memorial day on May 5, 1866. It was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags. What is the picture that comes to your mind when you think of a soldier fighting in the front lines for his country? *** Non-American here, so Memorial Day doesn’t mean much to me in terms of its celebration, but I suspect it is a lot like Anzac Day in Australia, or Remembrance Day in the UK – which I can certainly appreciate. It’s when we take time to remember those that fell in the line of duty and for the freedoms and protection of our country and citizens - and that of our allies. For the lives lost far too soon. Being from the UK, we learn about WWI and WWII in both history and English lessons in the equivalent of middle school (I think, school systems still confuse me – around the age of 12 onwards). They are a significant topic in our teenage years – particular in GCSEs (school leavers diploma/qualification). Sigfred Sasson and Wilfred Owen in particular are poets I remember studying in English – I think they are synonymous with WWI, though I could be wrong. We were challenged to write poems ourselves based on these poets and on these battles. The battle of Le Somme featured in one of mine – “on the fields of Le Somme, their bodies did lie.” I think was the last line of it – it’s the only line I remember writing. I also remember watching Black Adder goes forth (satire based on the first world war with Rowan Atkinson – also known as Mr Bean) where in the final scene/episode they went “over the top”; the poem by Baldrick – BOOM BOOM – also stayed with me for its comedic value. We watched it in history because the adaptation was very good, surprisingly realistic, and perhaps palatable for school children. It’s that imagery I think of when I initially think of a soldier fighting in the front lines – trench war fare, mustard gas, and WWI. Not something that is necessarily true in today’s front lines. And in reality it shouldn’t be. Warfare has evolved. My brother fought in the front lines of the first Gulf war and in Bosnia – neither of which are similar to WWI or WWII in term of battle tactic or environments. I have friends and school mates that have fought in conflicts much more recently – who have lost lives, limbs, and been definitively changed by the experience. Though at the core, I suspect the human experience remains the same for the soldier in question – haunting. Now, with the advancement of technology and media we see the cost of war in a much more brutal manner, from the comfort of our sofas and armchairs. Still diluted from the harsh reality, but much more affronting than the past. Perhaps, I should be picturing those soldiers in Ukraine, the ones I see on the news, when I think of a soldier fighting on the front lines – because that is the reality now. Maybe picturing Wildfred Owen (or the grandfather I never met) in a grey scale photo is my mind’s way of separating/protecting myself from the scary reality that current warfare is on our doorsteps, and not 100 years in the past. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
