November 11

Today is Remembrance Day. I am so thankful that the leaders of our country were wise enough to make this a holiday. Not because I needed a break from work but because I need to remember the sacrifice it took for freedom. The sacrifice of pain, money and valuable resources.

My Great Grandfather fought in one of the world wars. I believe it was in the first one (1914 -1919). Imagine being 20 years old, having never left the farm, let alone the country, and going to Europe. A place of strange customs and language. Europe is very strange and different at the best of times and during a war it would be more so. (they think that we are strange and different also). Then He was expected to shoot people. That is very different then taking the life of a deer or a gopher. I realize that these people were the enemy but they are people too. Some of them had no choice about being there.

I believe that it was in the second world war my fathers family fled Hitler's regime. (it may have been the first one, but being as no one talks about it, this is the best I can do) They had to leave a brother and a mother. That brother had to fight. He had no choice. Imagine if that was the same war, my great grandfather and my great uncle would have been fighting on opposing sides, trying to kill each other.

My Great grandfather survived. He lost an arm and an ear drum and many more wounds I am sure that are not visible to the eye. He came home got married, had at least a dozen children ( I really am so sure of the number but it was a lot). One of those people was my grandfather and he had my mother, who had me.

In writing this, I have realized that I do not know nearly enough about my family's history or the first world war in general. I had to call people to find out when it happened and why. Those of you younger then 25 did you know that it started because the Arch Duke Ferdinand of Austria was asinated , in Sarajevo, by the Serbians,on June 28, 1914. This lead Austria to declare war on Serbia on July 28,1914. This lead to the invasion of 2 non allied countries, which led to the domino effect of countries decaling war on each other, which caused World War One. Hitler was simply a corporal in those days, one rank above private, which is the lowest rank in the military.

So lets give the moment of silence. Lets learn more about our history. It is the least I can do.