Lest We Forget

November 11th is one of the most important days of the year and one of the few occasions when I am unashamedly and emotionally patriotic. But it is a very different kind of patriotism that we are celebrating. Rather than glorifying past military successes, Remembrance Day (or Veteran's Day) emphasizes the human cost of our victories, our mistakes, and our freedoms. This can only be a healthy exercise.

But lest we forget that many of our soldiers are currently engaged in a number of hostile environments, here's a sobering PBS documentary on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan. (Be warned: it contains very raw images). These are the soldiers that will make up the next generation of veterans and, sadly, the next generation of headstone engravings. It is much too soon for Afghanistan to have earned the nickname "the forgotten war."

I will direct my Canadian readers to this list, and this article.

(Photo: Towers Library, St. Andrew's College)