REMEMBRANCE DAY

[Gil Boyd]

Thought I would share this with you all written by my son:

What does Remembrance Sunday mean to me?

I would like to say I remember them every day. But I do not. But I try, I have poppies inked into my skin.

I and friends have lost so many brothers and sisters over the years through conflict, accidents, poor health, early aging and suicide, that I often, ashamedly, have to look up their names and remind myself of where they fitted in to my particular story.

Being an old soldier means I have a unique perspective. I have survived, I have lived through risk, through bullets, bombs and blast and come out the other side. This means that I am privileged. I am privileged to breath today, to experience life, kiss my wife, to hold my children, notice a sunrise. Privileges the lost do not have. What, I do feel is the tragedy of it all, and I mean that in the true Shakespearian sense of tragedy. Young life on the altar of sacrifice. The false nobility of young death, the desperate need to prove worthiness, the ugly sin of battlefield death that ironically does become beautiful.

Some of the lost I did not know but find myself duty bound to speak their names, those of my tribes, of the Parachute Regiment and latterly the Royal Army Medical Corps.

Some however, I knew well, and I genuinely do feel their loss on a personal level.

Death like this shapes you, and because of its ruinous nature must convert into a positive force and drive you, the living, forward, otherwise that sacrifice is empty, void, spent.

I have no control of what happens to me, other than preparedness, or what happens in the wider world, other than quiet observation, and an attempt to deal with the things in front of me, but I try to make sure that those sacrifices are at the very centre of what I do.

I recently spoke to a widow of a close friend who suggested that her late husbands’ death had been proved worthless by the fall of Afghanistan to evil. Instinctually, I was able to say NO this wasn’t true. The reason this isn’t true I believe is conversion. Conversion of the sinister into beauty. This man’s death as he expired, inspired me to build. To build on my skill, to help build others. I would like to think I have done this, to the best of my ability. And I am just one.

I told her of a baby I resuscitated and handed back to a grieving mother, the mother then took her daughter who was not breathing minutes before, and fed her from her breast, tears streaming down her face. Without this man’s death I would never have taken this path, I would never have been there, I would never have been inspired to be a medic. This baby was just one life, and arguably in the natural order, worth the sacrifice. However, this baby is one of hundreds of people that my personal path and profession has led me to help, to save, to build. And I am but one.

So, what I think I am saying, is use sacrifice, make sure that light burns out the dark. Recognise your privilege and be a force for good. Expiration breath out, Inspiration breathe in. Life.
Lest we forget

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[Ovidio]

Deep… Moving… Right!
We all have to do our little piece. The final picture will be awesome!
Your son is a Man. Capital M!

[CINDERS]

For me it is the voices that were forever stilled, giving us our freedoms we have today and not from any one conflict but from all to preserve our way of life of free speech and will.
From the great adventure where our troops marched off answering the call of the mother country in WWI to the most recent activities against terror itself.

I think of my dad and the privations he suffered in WWII overseas those of which we on civy street will never suffer, no I will never forget those that answered the call and still do whilst I remain vertical on this rock.

[Gil Boyd]

Sadly before I go to our local church to Remember this morning, I hear the news H.M The Queen is to unwell to attend the Cenotaph in London...........good health and hope she recovers soon.

[30Three]

Thank you for posting your son's letter Gil. You have a very level headed young man there. Please thank him for his service!

It is a sad fact that many people today do not get the fact that the freedom they take as a given; was in fact paid for by the ultimate sacrifice of our armed forces.
A few years ago I had a conversation with a Muslim colleague about the Charlie Hebdo attack here in Paris. He felt that the cartoons were offensive. I explained that freedom to write or read whatever you want, was born from the sacrifice of millions of people; who gave their lives so we can live freely. That if you stop someone drawing a cartoon; expect to loose the right to read the Koran; because it is that freedom of expression that makes it possible. Real freedom means me defending your right to read and believe what ever you want; and you defend my right to think it's crap! He did have some issues understanding the concept!

[Surpmil]

Thank you for posting your son's letter Gil. You have a very level headed young man there. Please thank him for his service!

It is a sad fact that many people today do not get the fact that the freedom they take as a given; was in fact paid for by the ultimate sacrifice of our armed forces.
A few years ago I had a conversation with a Muslim colleague about the Charlie Hebdo attack here in Paris. He felt that the cartoons were offensive. I explained that freedom to write or read whatever you want, was born from the sacrifice of millions of people; who gave their lives so we can live freely. That if you stop someone drawing a cartoon; expect to loose the right to read the Koran; because it is that freedom of expression that makes it possible. Real freedom means me defending your right to read and believe what ever you want; and you defend my right to think it's crap! He did have some issues understanding the concept!

The concept is totally foreign to him, and to most of the rest of the world. You were certainly not lacking in courage to raise the matter at all; the appearance of conformity to what were once Western mores can be deceiving: the "jihadist" is often inherent though not apparent.

[Gil Boyd]

Even after Toms words, who incidently is a Sergeant Major Combat Paramedic in the Royal Army Medical Corps, we had a terrorist attack at Liverpool Hospital where a car bomb failed to detonate properly, thank God, but burst into flames........would you believe, it was one minute before the National Armistice Day silence at 11am.
What drives this hopeless cause on?
Why an innocent target such as a womens hospital.
It just goes to show, these evil people have been given thier freedom by those millions who died in WW1 and WW2 and are still in and amongst us. Stay Vigilant at all times guys.

[30Three]

13th of November was the anniversary of the "Bataclan" attacks. It's still fresh in our minds!

Unfortunately today the ordinary citizen isn't really allowed to defend themselves or their property in Europe.

[Flying10uk]

Even after Toms words, who incidentally is a Sergeant Major Combat Paramedic in the Royal Army Medical Corps

Gil, it would be fascinating to hear more about your son's service and experiences in the Royal Army Medical Corps. Anything that you and him are comfortable saying publicly.

I have been a civilian first aider for many years so it is something very close to my heart.

[Gil Boyd]

Probably for official personal memoirs, but certainly not for the site. You can imagine for yourself what occured in Ops with 2 PARA and RAMC by reading his words carefully.