I am commemorating Anzac day by checking up on my eligibility and paperwork for Australian citizenship.
Anzac day is the holiday that follows 'Easter Week' here in Australia. This day seems to be the folk marker for the start of autumn as well. I hear people say 'after ANZAC day' plant this or that, go to see this or that (this or that such as the mythical fagus, aforementioned in my Tarn Shelf post).
I am able to explain Anzac day due to the study I put in to pass my citizenship test. My knowledge of both history and politics has been sharpened by living abroad, just as my grammar was improved by studying other languages. However, no amount of perusing our atlas improves my knowledge of geography so I still get comments thrown my direction that lump me in with the seemingly world wide view that Americans, if, they know geography at all, they know only the geography of the continental United States. But, one girl can only do what she is able.
Perhaps, because I learned about Anzac day late in my life, I feel the impact of this story more than all the yearly purchased poppies, of memorial day in America ever achieved.
Anzac is the acronym for 'Australian and New Zealand Army Corps'. (If you need a visual on that, think of the guy who talked funny and wore that large hat in M*A*S*H).
Specifically the day refers to a battle on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.
Australia is still regarded as having a small population, even today when the number is around twenty-one million, but at the time of the battle the population was under six million. The campaign in Gallipoli resulted in an estimated 25,000 casualties including some 8,700 who died. The impact community by small community is easy to imagine, much easier than imagining just a large number. I find I can imagine the impact quite well, because every town has a memorial here with the names of the people who died etched in the stone obelisk. I mean, we are talking about a country where (again as previously posted) that even has war memorials in dedicated to the dogs who served and were killed in battles.
My parents are young, and grandparents were not a part of my life, so my only relationship to war is Vietnam. I remember my Mother complaining that her chances of finding a partner were severely lessened by the amount of men her age killed or permanently damaged by the war. When I was young, occassionally a Veteran of that war lived with us, and I heard some stories, especially from one man who used to take me with him into the city of San Francisco with him. He made the trip daily from whichever part of Marin County we were living in, to go to a methadone clinic, which was set up for returning Veterans from Vietnam who had become addicted to heroin. He also took me with him, when he mailed his medals of honour, back to the President, upside down. He told me this was a testimony to his feelings about the war. One can see how my idea of the heroism of battle was skewed by my limited first hand experience.
I think the idea of 'Lest We Forget' and the commemorative moment of silence each year is important. I remember the men I knew briefly when I was young even though they didn't stay in my life. I try to think of all the peoples whose lives have been are are affected by war. I appreciate that my life has not been directly impacted, that I can drink all the coffee and eat all the sugar that I want. I haven't had to do without like the generation of each great war. I acknowledge that people today suffer from battles on their lands. I also take the time to think about my adopted country on this day of commemoration, because I feel fortunate to be here.
Anzac day is the holiday that follows 'Easter Week' here in Australia. This day seems to be the folk marker for the start of autumn as well. I hear people say 'after ANZAC day' plant this or that, go to see this or that (this or that such as the mythical fagus, aforementioned in my Tarn Shelf post).
I am able to explain Anzac day due to the study I put in to pass my citizenship test. My knowledge of both history and politics has been sharpened by living abroad, just as my grammar was improved by studying other languages. However, no amount of perusing our atlas improves my knowledge of geography so I still get comments thrown my direction that lump me in with the seemingly world wide view that Americans, if, they know geography at all, they know only the geography of the continental United States. But, one girl can only do what she is able.
Perhaps, because I learned about Anzac day late in my life, I feel the impact of this story more than all the yearly purchased poppies, of memorial day in America ever achieved.
Anzac is the acronym for 'Australian and New Zealand Army Corps'. (If you need a visual on that, think of the guy who talked funny and wore that large hat in M*A*S*H).
Specifically the day refers to a battle on the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey.
Australia is still regarded as having a small population, even today when the number is around twenty-one million, but at the time of the battle the population was under six million. The campaign in Gallipoli resulted in an estimated 25,000 casualties including some 8,700 who died. The impact community by small community is easy to imagine, much easier than imagining just a large number. I find I can imagine the impact quite well, because every town has a memorial here with the names of the people who died etched in the stone obelisk. I mean, we are talking about a country where (again as previously posted) that even has war memorials in dedicated to the dogs who served and were killed in battles.
My parents are young, and grandparents were not a part of my life, so my only relationship to war is Vietnam. I remember my Mother complaining that her chances of finding a partner were severely lessened by the amount of men her age killed or permanently damaged by the war. When I was young, occassionally a Veteran of that war lived with us, and I heard some stories, especially from one man who used to take me with him into the city of San Francisco with him. He made the trip daily from whichever part of Marin County we were living in, to go to a methadone clinic, which was set up for returning Veterans from Vietnam who had become addicted to heroin. He also took me with him, when he mailed his medals of honour, back to the President, upside down. He told me this was a testimony to his feelings about the war. One can see how my idea of the heroism of battle was skewed by my limited first hand experience.
I think the idea of 'Lest We Forget' and the commemorative moment of silence each year is important. I remember the men I knew briefly when I was young even though they didn't stay in my life. I try to think of all the peoples whose lives have been are are affected by war. I appreciate that my life has not been directly impacted, that I can drink all the coffee and eat all the sugar that I want. I haven't had to do without like the generation of each great war. I acknowledge that people today suffer from battles on their lands. I also take the time to think about my adopted country on this day of commemoration, because I feel fortunate to be here.
1 comment:
that was beautiful. thank you. also, one of my favorite movies is gallipoli (young mel gibson).
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