In the United States, Veteran’s Day is a day set on Nov. 11 when we honor those who are serving or served in the armed forces.
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in United Kingdom since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who died in the line of duty.
The red remembrance poppy has become an emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. These poppies bloom on the battlefield of Flanders, their red color became a symbol for the blood spilled in the war.
The legacies of the First World War for Europe, 6,502,135 military casualties, the direct and indirect costs of the war, $180 billion (in 1914-18 dollars) and $150 billion (in 1914-18 dollars) to supply the troops. The First World War for the United States only lasted for 18 months, for the United Kingdom and Europe it lasted 4 long years. The experiences and losses on the battlefields were like Europe had never seen in any earlier war. No earlier war came so close to the totality of this war affecting so many nations and people, causalities among both military personal and civilians.
After the war, millions of people, civilian and military, from every participating nation was trying to figure out how to deal with the war and the aftermath. Some tried for forget, some wanted to remember the war, building monuments, cemeteries, and other memorials to those who fought and died. Remembering individuals was difficult, because half of the soldiers who died didn’t have an identifiable grave. Not all of the reminders of the war were made of stone and wood. Many had to live with physical disfigurements caused by the weapons from the battlefield. There were “Men with broken faces” and men so badly disfigured that they were called “gargoyles”. Poetry, stories, and paintings were other ways of remembering. Writers and artists that survived the trenches and the war used their creativity to remind the world of what it was like and to encourage people not to forget the horrors of war.
Take this into account on Nov. 11, when you see Veterans Day ceremonies. Honor those who have served and remember those who didn’t come home.