anzac day

“You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and at peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they become our sons too.”
Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic

what a beautiful quote. just watching the anzac day parade and tributes on tv throughout the day has made me teary. one thing i hvae appreciated about being here in australia these nine odd years is the spirit of mateship australians hold dear to their hearts. i remember my year 12 history teacher breaking down in tears each time she told us stories from gallipoli and the great war. needless to say, i was in tears too.

i don’t think i can really say the same about singaporeans. i think we’re slowly forgetting the sacrifices that our forefathers made during world war II. it seems like a movie plot just thinking about the torture our forefathers went through, the cruelty they faced in the hands of the japanese. i do remember learning in secondary 2 about how the barbaric japanese mercilessly pierced the wombs of pregnant women and plunged their knives into innocent infants.

i think singapore should have a day commemorating the glorious dead and noble servicemen that gave their lives defending our country as well. you know, lest we forget. so i say to the descendants of anzacs who suffered and lost their lives in changi or in battle in singapore, as one whose great-grand uncle was taken away by the japanese never to be heard of again, 

your sons are our sons too. 

 

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