ANZAC Day

Every April 25 is Anzac Day in Australia, New Zealand the Cook Islands, Niue, Pitcairn, and Tonga. Yes, these are all real actual places.  It is no longer observed as a national holiday in Papua New Guinea or Samoa but was at one point.  It is a national (and somewhat international) day of remembrance to honour the members of the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps who fought at Galipoli against the Ottoman Empire during WWI.  It commemorates the first military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the first World War.

It is a big deal here.  It is considered a public holiday (yay! no work) in both Australia and New Zealand.  This is rare in that two sovereign nations share the same remembrance day and incorporate both their names in the official day.

When war broke out in Europe in 1914 Australia, New Zealand (and Canada and many others) joined the struggle as  dominions of the British Empire.  According to Wikipedia:

In 1915, Australian and New Zealand soldiers formed part of an Allied expedition that set out to capture the Gallipoli Peninsula, according to a plan by Winston Churchill to open the way to the Black Sea for the Allied navies. The objective was to capture Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, which was an ally of Germany during the war. The ANZAC force landed at Gallipoli on 25 April, meeting fierce resistance from the Ottoman Army commanded by Mustafa Kemal (later known as Atatürk). What had been planned as a bold strike to knock the Ottomans out of the war quickly became a stalemate, and the campaign dragged on for eight months. At the end of 1915, the Allied forces were evacuated after both sides had suffered heavy casualties and endured great hardships. The Allied casualties included 21,255 from the United Kingdom, an estimated 10,000 dead soldiers from France, 8,709 from Australia, 2,721 from New Zealand, and 1,358 from British India. News of the landing at Gallipoli made a profound impact on Australians and New Zealanders at home and 25 April quickly became the day on which they remembered the sacrifice of those who had died in war.
Though the Gallipoli campaign failed to achieve its military objectives of capturing Constantinople and knocking the Ottoman Empire out of the war, the actions of the Australian and New Zealander troops during the campaign bequeathed an intangible but powerful legacy. The creation of what became known as an "Anzac legend" became an important part of the national identity in both countries. This has shaped the way their citizens have viewed both their past and their understanding of the present.

Anzac Day was officially commemorated on April 25, 1916 (or 25 April, 1916 in Australian).  The soldiers of Australia and New Zealand have been honoured on April 25 ever since.

Australia, in particular, has a rich (if that's the proper word) military history.  It started, of course, 220 years ago with the frontier battles between the British and Aborigines.  I don't want to spoil the ending but suffice it to say I am not considered a visible minority in Australia.  During the 19th century, essentially any war that was fought by the British, and there were a few of them, were also fought to some extent by Australia.

As an independent nation Australia fought in the WWI and WWII, as well as in the wars in Korea, Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam during the Cold War. In the Post-Vietnam era Australian forces have been involved in numerous international peacekeeping missions, through the UN and other agencies, including in the Persian Gulf, Rwanda, Somolia, Soloman Islands and they were one of the primary peacekeeping forces during the genocide in East Timor (Indonesia).  More recently they have also fought as part of multi-lateral forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. In total, nearly 103,000 Australians died during the course of these conflicts.

War and military service has been a major cultural definer in Australia.  It has helped shape the flavour of the nation to a large extent, particularly among the male population. It has also shaped the political ties of the nation.  Up until the Japanese attack on Australia in WWII, Australia had it's closest military alliance with Great Britain.  However, due to the US Pacific campaign those ties shifted during the second World War and continue to this day.  As a matter of fact, the US just announced about 4 months ago that they were building a major Navy base in Darwin (the northern tip of Australia).  Also, Australia is the only country in the world to join the USA in every war since WWII.  Not even Canada can claim that, not that we'd want to.  The US has essentially underwritten Australia security since 1942 and the Australians haven't forgotten it.

So, since we're in Australia now I just want to take a moment on this day to say thanks to all that served and sacrificed.  I hope that we can learn from past and that my children never have to endure what so many have endured in order to give us the opportunities that we have in life.  Here's hoping to a little peace.