https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-25/anzac-day-2023-commemorated-across-australia/102261140 Lest we forget…… Australia and New Zealand share this tradition and have been, well, criticised for for being the only countries to celebrate what was, let’s face it, a famous defeat. My American friends you may need to look up Gallipoli. But in many many ways this is more fitting than celebrating famous victories as this is about honouring those who serve. No matter what the outcome no matter what the service entailed no matter if that service was in a war theatre or not our service people serve. For that they deserve this respect and honour. Lest we forget
I find it unfortunate that people would criticize such a solemn day. Truly it is a fitting day to celebrate your fallen soldiers. Those young brave soldiers were put in a bad situation and fought gallantly against a strong force and did what was asked of them by their country. Unfortunately all battles can't be won, but that does not negate the sacrifice of the soldiers. I hope you and your country had a good and moving Anzac day services.
There is very little criticism these days. The day is treated as a genuine national day and is probably less controversial than our actual national day. The peak of criticism was from the late 60s to the early 80s and that was in no small measure a backlash against the political & social influence of WW2 veterans. During the 1980s the head of my state's Returned Services League (like the VFW) was openly racist and vocal supporter of aparthied in Sth Africa. He once called Bishop Desmond Tutu a 'witch doctor'. He also clashed with Vietnam veterans. As that generation shifted from overbearing overly conservative parents to loveable grandparents and their strict interpretation of ANZAC day also faded the day has taken on a much broader meaning. Children & grandchildren of veterans march with their forbearers medals and the service of all is remembered, not just those who served overseas or served in wars. There will always be questions & debate on the meaning of important national days, as there should be. If we accept the 'the died for our freedoms' line of thinking then this is precisely the sort of thing that was fought for.
I did not realise until recently that many overseas people have never heard Redgum’s iconic song “I was only 19”.
And when he was 19 he didn't even know why he was there and what a complete fiasco it was in support of American Imperialism. And if the Yanks had accepted the 1955 Geneva agreement to hold a referendum to reunite Vietnam after the French colonialists were kicked out, then he would have been able to have a good night's sleep.
The song is about more than that - it is a tribute to those who have suffered PTSD https://www.lyrics.com/sublyric/4079/I+was+only+19#google_vignette It isn’t an anti- Vietnam song but one that was strong nod to those who suffered not knowing why. This too is little known outside our own country
Nobody knew why. And Ho Chi Minh even asked the Yanks to help the Vietnamese kick out the French Colonialists before the Yanks wanted to nuke them in 1954. And the site of the Peter Badcoe Club and Kevin Wheatley Stadium and the Harold Holt Memorial Pool are now part of a five star hotel. And there is a nice temple for Ho Chi Minh on the ALSG HQ site, and a large Jesus Statue which you can climb on Lighthouse Hill and a kid's theme park on Radar Hill. https://www.shutterstock.com/search..._medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_term=/search/
The hospital at Vung Tau was closed on 25th Nov 1971 and then demolished, and the site is now another hotel. And the Ned Kelly bar at the Grand Hotel is a meeting place for some of those described in the Redgum song who live there now.
