I have not suffered a personal loss through war. So why do I shed so many tears for the soldiers I never knew?
Let me tell you.
Every day we are bombarded with images of new atrocities and old.
The holocaust; Al Queda; Tiananmen Square; Rwanda; Kosovo; Burma
Each and every one of these should be in our minds every time we make a free choice in our lives. For thousands of people affected by the situations listed and countless others not listed such free choice was not readily available as it is to us.
Every time I speak out for the environment, every time I open up my laptop and use my freedom to write, every time I shop and reel at the price of anything; all these things I can do because soldiers I never met and will never meet fought for me to be able to.
Many gave their lives. I thank them. Today I honour them, like I do and will always do throughout the year every time I speak my mind and every time I use my freedom to walk through a field where poppies grow.
God bless them all.