During the second World War, my father, uncles and at least one of my aunts, all signed up with the military to fight against the invasion. One of my uncle was trained to be a parachute trooper and he was about to be deployed one night in 1945. With very little chance of surviving such a mission, my father was not expecting him to return and had already said their last farewell. However, my uncle was lucky, the war ended that very night and the mission was called off.
Remembrance Day is to remember members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. To me, it is also about showing respect and appreciation for services of active troops and family. We may not be in active duty like the soldiers, however, it is our duty as citizens to fight on their behalf to ensure that the politicians are doing all they can to find resolutions and that there are no hidden agendas. We must all remember that there are no ‘cheap’ victories!
In recent years, the world start to understand more about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At one point in time, if the soldier did not suffer any physical damage, then he/she must be okay and whatever other problems they may have, they are on their own and they need to tough it out like a ‘soldier’. Read this article about one soldier’s experience. Again, I think that it is our duty to give our soldiers and their families support and make sure they are not fighting any ‘post-service’ trauma / adversities on their own.
Exercise
– Do you have anyone in your family tree that was (or is) in active duty?
– Since the word “martial” from “martial arts” means “military”, What are the similarities and differences between a soldier and a fighter? What can you project from the above discussion.