Memorial Day International
Some celebrate Memorial Day with a barbecue or a sale. Others celebrate it by visiting veterans. I take time to reflect on the history of the armed forces.
Today we must realize that the fallen heroes did not all salute Old Glory. The amazing men and women of the American Armed Forces were in good company. In World War II the British were fending off Fascism and suffering the bombs of Hitler for years before Americans stood up. Alongside them were the commonwealth nations - Canada, Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, and Nepal. Non-Vichy France held a successful resistance, many Frenchmen losing their lives to keep their nation free. Those that remained would usher in Allied forces during the liberation of Paris. And losing more men to combat than all other nations combined, Russia suffered massive losses, only to continue forward and bring down the Third Reich brick by brick.
In Asia the Chinese were in a civil war when Japan attacked, and despite their hatred for each other, both the Communist and Republican Chinese lay down their lives to protect their homeland. The Siamese (or later Thai), Cambondians, Laotians, and others all resisted the Japanese invasion force, later aiding Australian and American troops in overthrowing the Japanese.
And not to forget the Germans and Japanese who resisted their leaders’ tyranny, seeking to restore to their countries the honor and dignity of history, collaborating with allied forces and spies, sometimes taking on completely independant movements.
Today we remember that in the history of the world only one race has lived as heroes: the human race. We can all today bow our heads in thanks for those across the world who have engaged tyranny and oppression in any form and stopped it from entering our homes, whether they be American, Canadian, Thai, Chinese, or South African. Because the country we must pledge our highest allegiance to is greater than our nation, it is Earth. And despite all our troubles, we all call it home.
Memorial Day, World War II, Pan-Terranism
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