Oh gosh, I forgot it was Dday, I had three uncles who landed and survived. One of them just died in Dec. and to think I forgot the date but I never forget them.

Most of the people who experienced WW2 (in whatever capacity, even as children) and were around to hear the news about the landings are no longer living. Same thought concerning Pearl Harbor Day, or VE or VJ days. When there's not a large public event because of a milestone anniversary (50th, 60th, 75th, etc), it really isn't news.

While I'm a bit of a history buff, and I know how the war years affected my family (every male in my parents' generation was in the military, and both my mother and father were), even for me, these dates have no personal significance. They're historical dates like all the others. .

Up here in Canada, we celebrate "Remembrance Day", November 11. I tend to think that buying a poppy, going to the parades etc. is a highly commercialized endeavour, the purpose of which may be enjoyment and to be seen and the thought of "remembering" is a lost cause. Both of my parents (RIP) were in WWII - father as a pilot searching for German submarines in the Atlantic ocean (with many successful sorties) and mother as a sargeant packing parachutes for these sorties (many rescues to her and her team's credit), I remember them every day, every year and don't particularly need a "day" designated to remember them!

I wasn't around for the American Revolution either, but I expect some recognition of the event on the Fourth of July.

However, I titled this to reflect on the emptiness of such statements. Of course, we forget -- as a nation, as individuals. It's very like similar promises on tombstones. How many descendants will ever visit cemeteries. Which few stones will be sought among the many graves?

"The world will little know, nor long remember..." A. Lincoln (It is more true than he intended.)

I have noticed all week the history type television stations running DDay and Pearl Harbor and WWII invasion footage to a greater degree than usual.

I don't have tv right now so I haven't noticed. I am thinking of signing up to volunteer for the honor flight program. Don't know too much about it right now but they fly vets to Washington D.C. One of my coworkers does it and I see her posts on Facebook all the time so I asked her about it. Not everyone has forgotten.

chisue, what I was trying to say is that people are more likely to commemorate dates to which they have a personal connection. Those who don't, often don't. And I've seen where for some, the origins of holidays and commemorative dates can be lost to popular culture.

Most people know little about the Revolutionary War, little about Independence Day, and think that what the Fourth of July involves is wearing flag colored clothes and going to a parade or a barbeque. I don't think the "recognition" you describe accomplishes much.

Easter? That's when Spring Break usually is. Memorial Day marks when the neighborhood pool opens. Labor Day? That's the day after which women aren't supposed to wear white shoes. Thanksgiving? That's the day before Black Friday.

I was a little boy on D Day, but old enough to remember, however, we lived in isolation on a little farm 10 miles from a small town. My folks were yet recovering from the Great Depression. Dad was a WW1 veteran and he began to have nightmares when WW2 broke out. On Saturday night, we'd visit a neighbor who had a radio capable of pulling in news stations 200 to 400 miles away. We'd listen to the weekly wrapup and then enjoy a few old time radio shows. While the 'old' folks listened to the news, my neighbor's son and I might while away the time patching inner tubes and he would make roll-your-own cigarettes for his dad.

My folks must have been aware of the invasion, but did not discuss it with my sister and me. It was a worrisome time for them. Both my parents had nephews and nieces in that war. Mother's brother had been training in Michigan to be a medic when he was sent home to care for his parents. His father was found unconscious in the barn yard.

I googled♤ Dday. Also the battle of midway which happened from the 4 through the seventh two years prior to d day.

Pardon my terrible grammar and punctuation. Android updated and made my phone even more useless than it was before. Now, I can't even write a post proper.

I had a relative who was a Marine in WWII but he passed away long before I was able to ask him any questions about his service.

But I did spontaneously mention the battle of midway in a passing conversation earlier in the day so I feel we still have a connection in some subconscious way.

I don't celebrate Thanksgiving. It is a commemoration of the massacre of an entire indigenous tribe as an act of bribed mercenaries (one tribe offers protection and food in trade for men and guns, sounds like a familiar story).

♤hey Google, just because I typed in your brand name doesn't mean that I want to use your brand....but....do you capitalize "Google" as a verb?

I probably shouldn't have said anything.

I was born just before the Pearl Harbor attack. When I was in elementary school, a private school, none of our text books included WWII because they were so old. I don't recall very much in the public high school text books either--because school bonds had not passed for years on end, they were running on limited funding. As a result, though the war was covered in my university classes, I have felt poorly educated on the event. Therefore, I watch lots of the PBS and history channel shows on WWII. Just saw a rerun of Ken Burns' Roosevelts tonight too. Watched lots of D Day shows today too.

I'm so pleased to read that some of you do remember.

Sheilajoyce -- Your schools sound a lot like my (public) school. There was a lot of 'catching up' to do when that raft of Baby Boomers hit first grade. It seemed to me that every year in grammar school we started all over again with the Revolution in September -- and never made it anywhere near recent times by June. Maybe it *was* the texts!

I just finished reading a fascinating and very sobering--horrifying--account of Ravensbruck. Thanks for the reminder. I have a new appreciation of it.

I truly don't think we remember in the right context. We don't try to avoid the horrors. I think in remembering for DDay and other war losses, it's not the same as we will never forget. I think of concentration/war camps or 911 when I hear We Will Never Forget, means remember the victims and avoid it happening again. From what is going on in the world today, no one seems to remember.

They don't seem to remember in Europe in the world of football.

laticaudia, of course you should post, and without apology. I ignore the origin of Thanksgiving and see it as a time to be grateful for my life and to help children learn to be grateful as well.

Most often the things we are not supposed to forget are groups of people trying to annihilate other groups of people.

my mother used to have a Japanese friend (who ironically became a strawberry producer) who was interned in California...laticaudia, we have to remember the trail of tears, the children who were removed from tribal family "to be educated" in schools both here and Canada...or the any number of good-doers who have invaded countries who had a religion but weren't Christian...

This is certainly getting to be a strange turn... my point was that the ideas were getting mixed together. Military personnel put their lives on the line for your safety and peace, something many of us (me included!) are not willing to do. They deserve their own day. That is what Memorial Day is about.

But when we say we will never forget, it's not about military personnel, it's about the victims of outright and covert wars. That's not to diminish the rights of tribal North Americans or Europeans during the holocaust or Japanese Americans during WWII. They are remembered other ways and on other days. Not the same as Memorial Day. I don't want to forget, ever, but this is not their time.

Remembrance Day is on November 11th, here too. That's for WWI.

Memorial Day is for all those who died while serving in the armed forces, be it in the Civil War, WWII, Gulf War, or otherwise.

I didn't realize today was D day either, but with that said half the time I don't remember what day of the week it is. I used to listen to the radio every morning while doing barn chores to get my news, but the radio has been broken for about a month now. So I can't say whether local news has mentioned it here or not.

My grandfather lied about his age to enlist in WW2. He was 17 years old. He was a very slight man and had the job as a motor cycle dispatch driver. My grandfather was a very quiet soul and he almost never spoke about his time in the war. He mentioned the odd thing to my father, but never spoke freely about it. I don't think at 17 years old he could have even had an inkling of an idea of what he'd expect to see there. I know it had a profound effect on him. So when I think of historical events such as D-day, I usually think about it on a personal level, because regardless of what "side" someone is on, the vast majority of people who fought in those wars were just everyday folks, people led to believe they were doing the right thing, many who were forced into participation.

"Military personnel put their lives on the line for your safety and
peace, something many of us (me included!) are not willing to do."

A large number of combat casualties weren't "willing" to do it either. It's something people fail to mention when speaking of "heroics" of those who served. For WW2, something like 2/3rds of those in uniform were draftees. Vietnam era draftees were a smaller percentage, but still something like 40%. For both wars, ignoring higher casualty rates for aviators who were more likely to be volunteers, these still represent a significant portion of unwilling participants.

PS to rob - (in the US) the day that honors all who served is Veterans Day on Nov 11. It's no longer just Remembrance day for WW1 as it is in other countries.

What I really find interesting, this generation doesn't celebrate Victory Day like they did in the past. That was May 8 (or 9, 10, 12, depending on where you were).

p.s. yes, it's gone beyond the original scope. It hasn't changed days though.

In Canada we also honor more than just WW1 on Remembrance Day. So it's not just a WW1 thing here either.

A 'volunteer army' is one reason many Americans today have lost touch with the reality of war. Honoring 'the troops' isn't the same as it was when your own family member was drafted into service.

How many 'volunteers' joined because they couldn't find decent paying jobs with good health insurance? I wonder what effect 'Obamacare' has had on enlistments.

I can tell you all my family members who joined (and there are many!) did so on their own. With no illusions. They knew it was hard work and what the possibilities were. Including my gorgeous European model nephew, who still volunteered and was in Black Ops, two years ago (corrected. but current enough?). I doubt the volunteer portion of the military is affected all that much. After high school, I remember a lot of kids chose it over not working, or weren't ready to enter university yet. Many thought it might whip them into shape. Or help then earn the money for school. Or wanted to see places overseas. We obviously travel in different circles, so here's the view of mine :)

I was born in April, 1942. Pearl Harbor Day must have been very frightening for my parents.We lived in California and they experienced the blackouts, when they had to turn off lights at night because they was a report of Japanese planes near California. Growing up, I remember how serious their tones were when discussing it. I always remember Dec. 7 but I never remem ber D-Day or VJ Day.

"How many 'volunteers' joined because they couldn't find decent paying jobs with good health insurance?"

Given that the average new recruit is something like 19 or 20 years old, I'll guess that the answer to your question is "very few".

From what I've read over the years, the average inductee is from a rural area or small town and is from a family background with much lower than average education and socioeconomic levels The military also has a somewhat disproportionate representation of people from Southern states.

Do new recruits join because they have trouble getting good employment? Yes. Often because they're from low-opportunity job areas and they often lack a background that includes having gotten adequate education or job training.

" From what I've read over the years, the average inductee is from a rural area or small town and is from a family background with much lower than average education and socioeconomic levels"

I sincerely hope you aren't counting my family in that group snidely. They are bright and didn't lack education or were from lower income levels. They enter as officers since they have education. Also, I stated reasons why people join, and you only restated one, so here: "or weren't ready to enter university yet. Many thought it might whip them into shape. Or help then earn the money for school. Or wanted to see places overseas." Simply because you don't agree with what they do, doesn't mean unintelligent people choose it. Trouble getting employment? Why because they're young, and need experienced that the military gives them? Yep! And it's the best training. Most cutting edge.

Oh, and this article seems to say the opposite of what you have "heard"

A 2011 Pew survey
asked post-9/11 military veterans to list the most important factors
that had motivated them to join the military. Nearly 90 percent listed
serving the country as an important reason for joining, and 77 percent
listed educational benefits as important. Upwards of 60 percent said
they wanted to "see more of the world," and 57 percent said that
learning skills for civilian jobs was an important factor. In contrast,
only 27 percent said that difficulty finding a civilian job had been an
important factor in the decision to join the military.

Hey rob, I wasn't referring to you or your comment, not at all.

I said "average". I think the demographics have been pretty stable over past recent decades, because the Army was certainly as described when I was in. I respect the service of those who join, but I also scratch my head about anyone who voluntarily jumped into the military anytime in the last 15 years. They took unnecessary personal risks and the trust they gave to the political command structure wasn't reciprocated by reserving deployments for important missions. Lives were lost and ruined needlessly.

The military serves a purpose, and it gives good careers to people willing to make the required sacrifices. Training? Meh. I went through it, didn't think much of it, by necessity it's aimed at a very low level of capability and so instruction is slow and repetitive. Overall, military training teaches recruits what to do when someone with more authority gives a command. Lower levels (as I was) aren't given much leeway to think. Yes, for some (not all) it teaches maturity and some responsibility, but there are better ways to accomplish that. It's not the best avenue for most people.

Want to go overseas and serve a greater good? Join the Peace Corps.

I don't personally know any young men or women who are parents at 18 or 20, but...when we used to see so much TV coverage of returning troops, I saw a lot of service members who were shown to be parents of one or two or even three kids -- some married, some not. During the Great Recession, the military was one place to get a job and health insurance for your family. We saw soldiers who looked about twelve years old signing bonuses to redeploy, saying goodbye to spouses and kids.

I wonder if the economy has improved -- and/or there's affordable health coverage for more. Maybe people have more choices?

"This is certainly getting to be a strange turn... my point was that the ideas were getting mixed together. Military personnel put their lives on the line for your safety and peace, something many of us (me included!) are not willing to do. They deserve their own day. That is what Memorial Day is about."

Just a small clarification, Memorial Day is to honor the those who have lost their life while in service. Veteran's Day is to celebrate and honor all who have served in the Armed Forces.

Both holidays make me sad. My Dad was in the Army in WW2, luckily he came home safe. He was super-proud of his Army medals, most of which were "good-conduct" medals, plus one for his sharp-shooting skill. I miss my Dad;, not many Veterans of WW2 are still with us; soon they will all be gone. No one will remember them or V-E and V-J Day.

My dad served 22 years in the Navy and in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. He loved being in the service and what it stood for. I don't think WW I or WW II will ever be forgotten; I certainly hope not anyways.

vicsgirl. I go out of my way to thank anyone wearing any military hat (why do they wear those? grin!), but it turns to complete gratitude and reverence when I see a WWII vet. There are very few left.

My Dad was in the Royal Canadian Navy and my Uncles served with Windsor's Essex-Scottish Regiment in WW2. and my Grandfather and his brother were Royal Scots Fusiliers during WW1. My English Grandfather lost his brother in battle during WW1. We were taught from a very young age to "never forget" so I know all the significant dates and usually on Facebook I post their pictures to honour them. There is even a Canada Remembers page on Facebook that puts a post up everyday to honour those who served and who are serving. I am a history buff and instead of watching crap on tv I watch mostly historical documentaries and a lot of them are war documentaries. British, US, Canadian, Australian - I watch them all, knowing what sacrifices were made. Our CBC station usually has wonderful programmes that honour veterans on these special dates like D Day, Battle of the Atlantic, even Pearl Harbor, they are there for the parades.