"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets where they lie side by side here in this country of ours… You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
~Plaque at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, Turkey, where Australia fought its first major battle
Today is Anzac Day. We Americans here have been trying to come up with an equivalent day in the States. The best we can come up with is a more extreme Memorial Day.
On April 25, 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed in Gallipoli, in Turkey, to fight their first major battle in any war. Due to many mishaps and misguided leadership, they landed at night a mile away from their target destination. This put them at cliffs instead of beaches, and the result was eight months of battle, and 8700 Australian dead and 2700 New Zealand.
Every year, in honor of those lost, they celebrate Anzac Day. It has changed to commemorate everyone who has fought or died in Anzac, and they celebrate it like nothing I have ever seen before. I went to a dawn service at Kings Park, where thousands upon thousands of people gathered to watch as people put wreaths on the WWI memorial that they have there. As the sun rose behind the memorial, we watched in silence. It was a breath taking experience that was definitely worth getting up at 4 am for.
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