anyone watching ..

[fredkins]

The Royal British Legion now,I am In tears ,anyone else feel the same?

[stokemaveric]

its all well and good,all the pomp and the ceromony, the politicians standing there,laying the poppy wreaths..they dont care..we went into iraq and served in ni and other theatres of war.. on a high..fighting getting shot at,bottles,firebombs thrown at us, having your best mates killed,seeing things no human being should see.the training kicks in,adrenelin takes over,the rush of blood the sense of serving your country..then the aftermath..coming home..the nightmares..the nothingness...the flashbacks...the anger...the politicians dont care...they never have and never will..the lack of basic equipment they send our troops out to fight with shows that...i dont regret being in the army..indeed im proud that i served in the conflicts that i did..it made me the person i am today and laid the foundations of how my children are today..would i do it again???...NO....

[paddywak]

Sadly stokey it's not a new thing, the article about the lads who were reused service reminded me of this
http://quotations.abo...oemlyrics/a/Tommy.htm

[paddywak]

That should be refused service

[Mammar]

Oh Stoke - WE care. The people care. You've seen what they've said on here tonight.
I prefer to think that you didn't serve for the politicians, you did it for us, the people, for which I thank you.

[stokemaveric]

too right paddywak...it will never change and thats why i admire the soldiers of today..they will stand in rememberance day in 10-15-20 years time and nothing will have changed...''lions led by donkeys''...

[stokemaveric]

thank you mammar...you are so right...

[quinie]

Lions led by donkeys. So true,stokemaveric,esp. in WW1-the war to end all wars.
" We learn from history that we do not learn from history."Hegel.

[Mammar]

Night night Stoke, I'll keep you and your service in my mind, too, when I'm at our Cenotaph tomorrow x x

[tamaris]

I was there it was fabulous

[zebo]

I can keep it together more or less until the poppies start to fall.

[Ann]

Re: the very moving part of the service when the poppies fall, I always wonder how they manage to do this so efficiently and without a hitch each year. Are the poppies strung up high in nets, if so how do they stop them falling too quicky and to continue falling for several minutes. It has always intrigued me ......... is it a petal for every life lost?

[granny grump]

Hi Tamaris - how do you get to go to the Albert Hall is it a case of tickets first come first served?

[MASS1961]

Yes Ann, the poppies represent every life lost.
I believe they are petal shaped and made from very light weight tissue paper so they gently float down.

[tamaris]

I am with the Womens Section of the Legion any one can join

[tamaris]

Mass1961 that is correct

[Ann]

We were at the Battle of the Flowers in Jersey in 2000 and it also was moving that a Lancaster Bomber flew really low along the promenade and dropped tissue paper petals to commemorate lost service men and women.