Lest We Forget the Innocent Victims of War!

ANZAC Day is arguably the most significant public holiday on the Australian calendar, evoking a deep sense of national pride and gratitude for the generations of soldiers who have gone before us to defend our freedoms. Today, ANZAC Day also includes appropriate acknowledgement of a new generation of soldiers who are still actively defending our freedoms in recent and current military conflicts.

ANZAC Day is a day to commemorate the sacrifice of the fallen and to remember the high price tag associated with war.  Irrespective of the motives or causes, every war that has ever been fought leaves a trail of physical and psychological damage that inflicts permanent scars upon the soul of every nation engaged in the conflict.

Therefore, when we say "Lest We Forget" it is both a statement of RESPECT and LAMENT...

We respect the fallen and injured soldiers when we say "Lest We Forget"

We also lament the innocent victims of war when we say "Lest We Forget"
 

The hallowed phrase "Lest We Forget" should not only be a commemorative statement but a confrontational statement that reminds us of the consequences of war to strengthen our resolve to never again resort to armed conflict.  This means if we try to sanitise "Lest We Forget" by censoring the inconvenient and uncomfortable truths associated with war then we've already 'forgotten'.

So, when a media personality posted on social media the comment "Lest. We. Forget. (Manus, Nauru, Syria, Palestine)", drawing attention to displaced people as a direct result of fleeing from war zones, I'm a little puzzled at the level of offence this comment has provoked among so many Australians!?  Is it a misplaced nationalism?  Is it a denial of reality? Is it a prejudice against the nationality and religion of the person behind the statement? Whatever it is, I feel the offence felt by the alleged offensive comment is actually more offensive than the comment itself.  To be offended by a reminder of a reality of war when we stand together and say "Lest We Forget" is an unconscionable contradiction that reveals some deep prejudices that dishonour the ANZAC spirit way more than what was said!  

I'm intentionally refraining from naming the person behind the controversy because this raises some ugly issues in our nation that are much bigger than any one person.  We seriously need to take a good hard look at ourselves when we get so easily offended by anybody who dares to challenge our national conscience.  And we need to stop demonising people who do so and with whom we may disagree.

          Lest we forget the innocent victims of war!!

Have We Forgotten?

Like many Australians, every year I attend and participate in two culturally significant community events - ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day.  Both days are a time to honour the memory of those who lost their lives on the battlefield and are a sober reminder of the lasting scars that war leaves on our humanity.  Each year at these services the solemn sound of the Last Post played by the bugler is either preceded or followed by the recitation of the "Ode of Remembrance" which ends with the phrase "Lest We Forget".  

While it is right and proper that we remember the fallen, have we forgotten what they fell for?  Has history taught us nothing?  Have we not shed enough blood?  And in the words of songwriter Bob Dylan, "How many times must the cannon balls fly, before they're forever banned?"

The ongoing threat of terrorism, the war on ISIS, conflicts in the Middle East and parts of Africa, tensions with Russia and North Korea, all would suggest to me we have forgotten that war never has and never will bring true peace and freedom for humankind!  

The relative peace that follows when the guns are silenced leaves those who are wounded or displaced by war suffering relentless physical and mental conflict.  The freedom celebrated by some becomes bondage to others and remains elusive for most after a ceasefire is declared.  The human cost of armed conflict only really serves to perpetuate the brokenness of our humanity instead of purchasing the peace and freedom all humankind ultimately craves.

When we say "Lest We Forget" it must not just be a lament about the past but a resolution for the future!  Every time we say "Lest We Forget" it must move us beyond reflective commemoration towards a robust commitment to find a better way!  Therefore, "Lest We Forget" that ALL human beings are made in the image of God and have been created to live in shalom with our Creator, each other and the world we share.

ANZAC Day Memorial Ride

After attending and participating in two very moving ANZAC Day services in our local community this morning I took my Fixie out for a reflective memorial ride along the Melbourne coastline to the city, stopping at war memorials along the way.  My destination was the Shrine of Remembrance in the Botanic Gardens where I met my family for a final tribute to the fallen.
 

As I rode along the shoreline of Port Phillip Bay I began thinking about what the ANZAC's were defending as they landed on the shore of Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli peninsula.  Their invasion of a foreign land was not to deny the sovereignty of one nation but to defend the security of all nations.  It was not a demonstration of paternalism but a display of partnership with allied forces.

Today, as I looked over my shoulder at the beaches, reserves and foreshores that lined the coastline, I had a deep sense of appreciation for the freedom I have to enjoy such places and couldn't help but notice the diversity of others who were enjoying the same freedom.  Each home, business and community centre that I rode past are a living expression of this freedom.

Then my mind wandered to the border protection policies of our government and I felt a contradiction with all that ANZAC Day represents. Australia enjoys freedom because men and women were prepared to fight against overwhelming odds to secure it.  Yet, men and women who are fighting the same battle today for a taste of what Australians defend so strongly, find closed borders blocking their access to that freedom. 

Along my memorial ride I wrestled with these challenging thoughts and the words "Lest We Forget" became as much about the present as the past.  Lest we forget the price that people from all over the world are still paying today to leave tyranny and oppression for a life of freedom and peace as some seek to call Australia home!

Lest We Forget...

 
LEST WE FORGET…  the selflessness of those who put nation before person
 
LEST WE FORGET…  the service of those who left a career to join a cause
 
LEST WE FORGET…  the sacrifice of those who traded life for liberty
 
LEST WE FORGET…  the suffering of those who still carry the scars of war


 
LEST WE FORGET…  the selfishness of those who put their ideology before our common humanity
 
LEST WE FORGET…  the strategy of those who use fear to divide and conquer
 
LEST WE FORGET…  the silence of those who lack the courage to speak out against violence and oppression
 
LEST WE FORGET…  the stupidity of those who still believe that armed conflict is a pathway to peace

 
LEST WE FORGET…  the source of real peace and freedom for all humanity is found only in Jesus Christ!