Anzac Day is , perhaps, one of the only days New Zealanders really celebrate that is a (relatively, barring aussie) unique thing to New Zealand.
It is a day to honour the dead who fought to protect our freedom. Those honoured dead who fought in the defense of our country. Those honoured dead who fought for an end to all war, again and again and again.
Lest we remember.
Lest we remember that in world war one we fought at Anzac cove in the hopes of crushing the Ottoman Empire and giving Istanbul to Russia. Russia being the last remaining absolute monarchy in Europe.
Lest we remember we fought for autocracy.
Lest we remember that, barring world war 2, no overseas war we have ever fought in has been in defense of our native soil. Lest we remember that our defense force has never been used as such.
Lest we remember that our men and women died under false pretenses. Remember that World war 1 was the war to end all wars. How many have we been dragged into since?
Lest we remember we have been called into defend dictators and tyrants world wide. Lest we remember we protected Syngman Rhee in Korea. The man whose government oversaw many massacres including that of the Jeju Massacre wherein security forces killed fourteen thousand people.
Or that of the enormous massacres in Vietnam, The agent orange, the napalm. I doubt i need to go into detail. Vietnamese atrocities are fairly firmly seared into the public conciousness.
Lest we remember why our countrymen died. Lest we remember for whom we fought.
Lest we not forget to wave our flags, Lest we not forget to march in step.
For if we are ever to be convinced to let our sons and daughters bleed once more we must not forget to forget.
