My intention was not "to sully the occasion" (your words) but to simply state the obvious . I too appreciate the spirit of ANZAC and the sacrifices made during 2 world wars (more so WW2) to protect our liberty which we all enjoy today .
And by the way I have volunteered for over 8 years with some of that time been spent looking after the needs of older Aussie Diggers.
I too can really appreciate the needs of families impacted by war; whether that be wars our troops have fought in or others that for them war has created more problems than benefits. Just consider a family whose member is now suffering from PTSD or acute physical injury.
My point is that while we remember the sacrifices our ancestors made particularly defending Australia and our neighbouring sphere of influence , we should also not regard ANZAC Day as a means of arrousing war sentiments particularly in our young.
Over time history is reassessed ; take the Vietnam War # for example? Had we known then the outcome, would we have been as keen to send our troops there? The younger generations and in particular a well educated youth will likely look at our participation in OS wars by outcomes rather than by the implicit values/judgements of the time .
I have had neighbours who fought in WW2 & Vietnam and they were appalled that within 30 years of those wars we were doing business with Japan & Vietnam . (and dont mention China)
Re: Vietnam: Despite of our fears of "The Yellow Pearl" spreading southwards through SE Asia and despite the fact that we (I mean the Americans) lost the Vietnam War, communism has not spread beyond its original Vietnam & Laos.
We live in a world dominated by science where outcomes are paramount and that, IMO, also applies to history and its interpretation .
By the way, my position on war is :war is the problem, not the solution and that is evident today in both the Ukraine & Israel/Gaza.
