Remembrance Sunday 2019-lest we forget.
We owe them a debt we can never repay
Former UK Prime Minisiter Winston Churchill after the battle of Britian “Never before in the history of mankind have so many owed so much so few.”
You stay up for 16 hours.
Soldiers stay up for days on end with no sleep.
You take a warm shower every day.
Soldiers can go weeks without running water.
You complain of a headache and call in sick.
Soldiers get shot as others fall and keep moving forward.
You complain about the way your family treat you.
Soldiers may not see their families for months.
You leave your house complaining about the way your partner treats you.
Soldiers may never see their loved ones again.
You complain your food isn’t cooked properly or doesn’t taste nice.
Soldiers can go for days with nothing to eat.
You complain that you have to spend hours in traffic.
Soldiers can carry around 70kg on them, in the searing heat and have to walk all the way.
You complain your boss doesn’t treat you right.
Soldiers get shouted out every day.
You complain that your boss gets you to do things you don’t want to do.
Soldiers get ordered to go out there, fight and possibly die.
Remember what John Rambo said in Rambo First Blood part 2 when his commander asked him what he wanted.
“I want, what they want and every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts and gave everything he had, WANTS. For our country to love us as much as we love it. That’s what I want.”
This is how we should respect our Armed Forces.
Please watch this video.
Your basic rights which you would never have without the ultimate sacrifice made by these brave souls.
Every day we take certain things for granted. The right to freedom. The right to vote. The right to speak freely. The Universal Declaration of Human rights gives us certain rights. None of those rights would be given to us without the ultimate sacrifice made by our forefathers in the great wars.
1. We Are All Born Free & Equal. We are all born free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should all be treated in the same way.
2. Don’t Discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.
3. The Right to Life. We all have the right to life, and to live in freedom and safety.
4. No Slavery. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our slave.
5. No Torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.
6. You Have Rights No Matter Where You Go. I am a person just like you!
7. We’re All Equal Before the Law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.
8. Your Human Rights Are Protected by Law. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.
9. No Unfair Detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without good reason and keep us there, or to send us away from our country.
10. The Right to Trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let anyone tell them what to do.
11. We’re Always Innocent Till Proven Guilty. Nobody should be blamed for doing something until it is proven. When people say we did a bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.
12. The Right to Privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into our home, open our letters, or bother us or our family without a good reason.
13. Freedom to Move. We all have the right to go where we want in our own country and to travel as we wish.
14. The Right to Seek a Safe Place to Live. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have the right to run away to another country to be safe.
15. Right to a Nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country.
16. Marriage and Family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want to. Men and women have the same rights when they are married, and when they are separated.
17. The Right to Your Own Things. Everyone has the right to own things or share them. Nobody should take our things from us without a good reason.
18. Freedom of Thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion, or to change it if we want.
19. Freedom of Expression. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like, to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.
20. The Right to Public Assembly. We all have the right to meet our friends and to work together in peace to defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don’t want to.
21. The Right to Democracy. We all have the right to take part in the government of our country. Every grown-up should be allowed to choose their own leaders.
22. Social Security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and childcare, enough money to live on and medical help if we are ill or old.
23. Workers’ Rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage for their work, and to join a trade union.
24. The Right to Play. We all have the right to rest from work and to relax.
25. Food and Shelter for All. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to be cared for.
26. The Right to Education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn about the United Nations and how to get on with others. Our parents can choose what we learn.
27. Copyright. Copyright is a special law that protects one’s own artistic creations and writings; others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life and to enjoy the good things that art, science and learning bring.
28. A Fair and Free World. There must be proper order
so we can all enjoy rights and freedoms in our own country and all over the world.
29. Responsibility. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and freedoms.
30. No One Can Take Away Your Human Rights.
The amazing speech from Kevin Costner to the UK military.
HI I am Kevin Costner and this is a message for all serving in the British Armed Forces serving in the UK and around the world.
It’s an incredible selfless thing you’ve chosen to do to be in the military. To volunteer when you could be pursuing so many other things with your young lives but instead choosing to serve your beloved country.
Your commitment to Britain, it’s citizens allies around the world is nothing short of noble thank you for your willingness to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves
To stand with each other, there can be no greater trust, there can be no greater bond than knowing you fellow soldier will stand in front of you. No matter the odds, no matter the dangers It’s a club you can’t buy your way into. A membership that can’t be faked or estimated. You are a soldier and the pride that will come from serving will only grow as you live your lives.
In my career, I have been able to play characters that are smarter and braver than I could ever be. I have been able to play characters in the military who are heroic and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
But the truth is, I have never served. And I have never been tested as you have. I have never made that same commitment you have.
You are the real deal. The ones that will be called first in a crisis.
It is important to me that you know that I know the difference between your lives and mine. As this world seems increasingly to spiral out of control people are uncertain and afraid but the one constant that they can count on are the soldiers of this country who through training and discipline are willing to stand and put the safety and freedom of others above their own. You are the tip of the spear prepared to go anywhere in the world at a moment’s notice. You are the strongest your country has to offer and America’s greatest ally. I want to thank you personally for my life for my family’s security and for those you will never know. I am really proud to have had the chance to address and pray that you come home to those who have loved you the longest and those who have loved you the most but while you are away I also pray that you will be covered by angels as you serve unflinchingly to protect freedom around the world I can offer you nothing but respect.
Why we observe Remembrance Sunday
Bibliography
- Fallen commemorated at Remembrance Sunday events across UK | ITV NewsThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Budweiser Soldier Tribute Commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTxT7feUlPg
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights https://www.youthforhumanrights.org/what-are-human-rights/universal-declaration-of-human-rights/articles-16-30.htm
- Kevin Costner’s amazing speech to The British Armed Forces https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqSzBOv_OGg
- This Is Why We Observe Remembrance Day https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buUemU-DPek
