It is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, and 2014 is the Centennial of World War I, the Great War. In the U.S., there is a shocking lack of education on this war, and there is still no national memorial. My grandfather was an underaged British boy who enlisted to fight in that war, one of 250,000 boy soldiers. He survived, and years later had my mother. He passed away before I had a chance to really know him, but my mother and uncles swear he never talked about the war, except to sing the songs of that time.
This poem by Laurence Binyon speaks volumes:
They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam
We will remember them.
Wishing you only good things,
Neen
Photo found at http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Books/Pix/pictures/2013/12/9/1386592641829/First-world-war-009.jpg
