Another Perspective.... in Majimaze Musing!

Hi there readrs!back again!I know nothing has changed as regards Prosebox and my attitude,however, I really feel the need to give another perspective regarding Anzac Day and the commemorations noting 100 years since Gallipoli took place.I come from a military family.Let me explain.My father was in WW2 serving in the Solomon Islands as bomb loader and a meterological pilot.He was also in the NZ Concert Party as an entertainer.I had a cousin involved in WWI who died at the Somme.My uncle,Sir Richard Webb, was Chief of Defence Force NZ, 1962-65,having served in Korea and my late husband Richie served in Malaya during the emergency for 2 tours of duty,1959-61,then ‘61-63 in the 2nd Battalion,NZ Infantry in the jungles of Borneo.We married in late 1963 and 4 months after that, he went to Thailand with the RNZE Engineers building an airfield in NE Thailand at Long Nok Tha to service American fighter planes during the vietnam War.He came home for 2 months then went away for a year,back to Thailand.So, I was left behind and in those days there were no cellphones,internet or Skype and letters every 3 weeks, so I have experienced being left behind.
My great-grandfather served here in NZ during the New Zealand Wars in the 19th century.So, what is my point?Not once in my entire 71 years did I hear any one of these wonderful men,glorify war!It was a mission to get them to even discuss it!I forgot Uncle Ivor who was a Rear gunner in a Lancaster bomber during WW2.The most vulnerable position on that aircraft on bombing missions.I am very proud of all these relatives.They regarded their war service as being part of a team working for the good of their nation and their world.All of them are dead now and I attend Anzac Day Sevices to remember them and to show my respect and love and I weep for my loss.I do not believe that war is great and never have.I was told by my Father, Uncles and husband that war is terrifying and nasty and you live in fear of being shot or tortured and when you are in the thick of it, you only think of yourself and your mates and that the enemy is out to get you.The noise the stench, seeing babies cut from their mothers wombs and crucified on the doors of villages by the communist Terrorists in Malaya is what haunted my husband all our marriage and he fought for those babies as well as for his service.I love Polz,however I cannot agree with my dear friend on what she has said in two entries.All of my relatives involved also knew that war was declared by the GOVERNMENT of the day, not them They were all Regular Army and Air Force men who did their duty and followed orders.I also know that.Understand that this is MY perspective and I want to be heard for these dead men as they have no voice now.I am not angry.If anything I am hurt.I feel somehow that people forget the men,the soldiers,pilots, submariners,sailors, POW’s the home guardsmen ,so many, doing their duty and being killed,maimed, damaged forever by their experience.They joined returned Service organisations to remember with pride,sadness, respect and love, those who died.NOT to glorify war!I can speak of being left behind,a new bride, and no husband.The fear for him, the pain of his absence, the loneliness and after he left, holding a singlet of his and weeping into it because it smaelled of him.And the sheer joy of meeting the military plane bringing him home after a year and feeling his arms hold me and smelling him,then sitting in a hotel room for 4 hours ,talking,to get to knw him again then falling asleep in his arms and waking up and knowing it was real and he was home again!How many wives over millenia have not had that joy?Have instead had the news delivered that he won’tcome home again.I must also point out that all the WANTING in the world has not stopped wars.Governments and the old adage of people wanting something that THEY haven’t got ad invading that country to grab it, they cause wars.none of my dear relatives would have had to endure what they did and I would not be writing this if wanting to stopwars had stopped them.So it continues and now the wars are everywhere, terrorism rules parts of our lives, refugees die trying to get a better life and still people think that soldiers old ,dead, alive, fighting and slowly dying, glorify war!The media are a bother to me too as THEY love to beat drums and these current commemorations are a banquet to them.Just don’t please be disgusted or disrespectful to these brave, terrified fighting men.I can’t be non-partisan on this subject.There are too many dead men in my family who were brave beautiful loving gentle men who served their country well and I think I speak for many widows mothers and families all over the world.you hurt me as you would hurt them and the men they mourn.
Lest we forget:
Majimazexxxxxxxx