Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

Self preservation. 'Average' people need to get on with their normal mundane lives because thinking about the heavy shit will up the suicide rate by several million percent. However 'average' people have also generally suffered great personal loss and spend a lot of time thinking about that. I know you don't mean to sound like a patronising prick but the way I read it, you are. In that post anyway.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

Which is one of the longest ever periods with no major wars, and it certainly cannot last forever. But for how much longer?

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

No I don't mean to, and I think the general population have never had it so good in some ways.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

I agree.

People moan about the small things because (generally) they're the things that they can do something about, things that give them the illusion that they can control some aspect of their lives, because if they focus on the helplessness that the terrible, personal tragedy has foisted on them, they'd go mad.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

No idea. In the West, the idea of a civilian population touched by war directly is almost unfathomable now. (Obviously I am not talking about the relatives of those on ops).

Perhaps terroism has filled the void - but it's still not immersion in the way the civilian population in the West endured.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

I suppose it's just that the 'small' things seem to be getting smaller!

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

The next serious conflict will come as a big shock to Westerners, but I actually believe we will rise to the challenge. We always do.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

This year was my first ANZAC's parade and it was very bitter sweet for me. My middle son marched for the first time with the army cadets. He wished his dad could have been there but unfortunately he is still on deployment.
I noticed despite the heat and it was hot in Darwin from 9am onwards all the people in the parade were dressed smartly by Darwin standards. I wore a smart summer dress as did many women who were watching the parade.
Many men had shorts and shirts.
Mandy

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

It will certainly come as a shock to the Australian public. Since Korea Australian forces have only been deployed to theaters after the government has ensured they are mainly out of harms way. Gulf war, Afghanistan and Iraq. The hard yards have been done by the Americans with some help by the Brits. This is in stark contrast to two World Wars where aussie troops were in the thick of it ie Gallipoli, Western Front, Torbruck etc.

Lets hope we never see such conflict again but history would suggest otherwise.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

I agree with your assessment of the future. The only thing different now is the presence of nukes, which some theorists argue basically stop war between countries that have them. So far, so good...

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

Vietnam?

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

Vietnam was the beginning of the end of troops being sent to the pointy end.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

But still there which your post seemed to ignore?

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

My bad.

Re: ANZAC Day - Dress Code
 

My pedantic edge has been satisfied ;)