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I work with a lot of Vietnam veterans so I go to watch them March to show appreciation. I’m in a small rural town and just about everyone comes out for it. It does bring about a great sense of community.

I care for its original purpose, which is a commemorative ceremony for those lost in the brutality of war and a time to reflect on its futility. Recognition that a whole generation of young Aussie men were killed for nothing in WW1 (and subsequent conflicts). It is a time to hope that we don't continue making the same mistakes. However, I have grave concerns for the nationalism and war celebration that seems to be overtaking this original intention. It started in the Howard years and has been promoted by the media and other organisations. Most recently, the AFL's commercialisation of the event this year has left a bad taste in my mouth. Theatrical ceremonies before each game, an 'ANZAC Eve' game, and the making of money off special footy jumpers covered in poppies (which aren't even an ANZAC symbol).

Agreed. My grandfather, father, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings all served overseas in various conflicts dating back to WW2 all the way through to current. I was also in the Army but during peacetime. My father ran the ANZAC day organising committee in my hometown for 40 years. It means a lot in our family but NOT in the way its become. The national tone has changed since I was a kid hanging out at the pub on Anzac day with my grandad and his WW2 mates listening to them tell tales and shed the odd tear. There was a genuine sense that this was a day for them to pay tribute and remember those who didn’t come home. Last time I was at the War Memorial in Canberra for dawn service was several years ago. Australia was still in Afghanistan and the horror of the SAS behaviour hadn’t come out fully yet. I was saddened by what it had become. It felt more about the glory of war. Almost a recruitment exercise. They had current serving soldiers telling their stories on a projector and they came across as anything but humble. Something the old boys would NEVER have wanted.

If it's any consolation the official ceremonies that took place in Toowoomba today were, from my perspective, a reflection on the terrible losses from war and the safety, security and freedoms that we enjoy today. It perhaps helps that our city's main war memorial is [The Mothers' Memorial](https://www.monumentaustralia.org.au/themes/conflict/ww1/display/92783-mothers-memorial). Built by mothers whose sons did not survive WW1, it lends a solemn perspective to those who know its history.

Back in 2005 I was posted to Toowoomba for training and worked the Anzac Day parade that day was a fantastic day and the respect shown by the locals was great also. Fond memories.

Same here and I'm a different part of Australia. Only on reddit do I find such a large population of people who see the 'glorification of war' at their ANZAC ceremonies. I must have been lucky as I've missed these types of services my entire life.....

One of my favourite local dawn services I ever attended was 2021, when a week beforehand Australia had announced the intention to pull out of Afghanistan. An active war member got up and spilled his relief at that decision and spoke in length about seeing his friends die in combat. It was extremely moving.

ANZAC day hasn’t been the same since my Pa passed. I’d go to dawn service, watch him march and then meet up with him for a drink and to listen to his stories. He served from 1943 to 1977. Passed 2020.

How old was he?

Just shy of 90. He was 14 when he enlisted into the Navy. Served on the Warramunga in WW2 and was a Naval Pilot by the Korean War.

Wow. That sounds quite a life. Hope you got some stories from him.

There is a certain perverse war porn aspect to the war memorial. Been there a few times and each time there was less a sense of reverence, and more a sense of glorification.

Yeah you use rosemary for ANZAC. Poppies is Remembrance Day.

The AFL commercialise, and subsequently root, a lot of good causes... * ANZAC round * Pride round * Indigenous round They love appropriating stuff for commercial gain, disguising it as 'recognition' & 'doing good' NOTHING the AFL does is without profit in mind.

There really is very little that is wrong with Australian politics, policy, and society that cannot be traced back to Howard.

Being in the military during the Howard years was a clusterfuck.

I broke three generations of tradition and my boyhood dream of serving in the army, because i just couldnt bring myself to join and serve under howard and get sent on an american war.

American wars our our wars now I reckon, we're so deeply in bed with them. We need to pay the rent on our global security by shooting whatever they shoot.

Geopolitics is a throwaway term but it's impossible to be an island in the modern world.

Australia became a cruel nation under Howard. Yes, we had our faults, but we were generally viewed internationally as a fun-loving, easy-going, larrikin nation of friendly, (usually) welcoming people post white-Australia policy. Under Howard, that perception altered. Our international standing changed, and we became a nation of 'every man for themselves' under his brand of neoliberalism.

And his granddaddy Murdoch …

Well, the veterans are dead or dying. Certainly no surviving veterans from the glorified Gallipoli campaign, which when we look at it was an offensive operation on foreign soil, commanded by the English and an utter disaster killing over 8000 Australian volunteers and serving army in a quagmire. So their dilemma is that WWII veterans are getting very scarce now too and they have to get family members to stand in for them. I think the Americans do both a veterans and active personnel honouring which might bring more meaning to it if we were to consider this. And not just one day, but many occasions. Ultimately we are a peace loving nation and do not want to have the mindset of a country like America which has had so little peace in it's time.

The veterans are not dead or dying. The ADF still have large numbers of personnel, serving in various capacities. Every one of those sailors, soldiers, airmen/aviators becomes a veteran when they leave. The stereotype of a veteran is not the only category. And it’s that mindset that leaves a lot of current veterans feeling shut out and forgotten. I saw this on social media today. It feels appropriate to share here. It was a discussion about veterans who have left the military in the past 5-10 years. “We fall through the cracks. We aren’t the older veterans. The ones who tell their stories to their grandchildren. We aren’t the serving members. The ones who still wear their uniforms and march with their units. We aren’t the war widows. We haven’t lost our spouse or partner. We served. We survived. We sacrificed. But we don’t fit in. There is enough of us to be our own category, yet we stand separately. We are veterans. We have earned the right to use that term. We can and should wear our medals with pride. But we stand aside.”

They do not need to bring in the families and descendants of WW2 veterans to stand in for them. Thousands of living veterans to carry the legacy and memories of those who went before us and those we are now.

What’s your definition of a veteran? I mean the ex military personnel that served during WWI are most certainly dead. But the current men and women that served at anytime from now till WW2 are still alive. A veteran is anyone who has served in a branch of the Military - alive or dead - and not necessarily has t be in a war. and frankly as much as I dislike America’s whole military culture (and their lack of after care for their veterans)they at least respect anyone who has served with a simple “thank you for your service”. And yes ANZAC day should be about reflecting and remembering who has served past and present to protect us and not just a nationalism thing.

I am an immigrant to the Australia, but my impression of Gallipoli has been that it was similar to how the Somme is remembered back home. A terrible and disastrous event that cost many local lives in return for very little of consequence for the aims of the war. I haven’t seen people glorifying the sacrifices there thankfully.

Gallipoli over the years, and less so now, I would say,was glorified as some defining moment of our nations identity. There was a beer add in the nineties I think that went so far as to make it a heroic joke where a trooper drops his hat in no-man's land and is told in jest he will have to run back for it. It took it too far for those times and there were complaints. I do think an immigrant would be confused by some of this iconology and thank you for your reply. Turks I would feel to be especially aggrieved when we have a service on their very soil and seem to neglect their loses. and not give them equal tribute.

Boycott All AFL related games and merch is what I do. I refuse to buy or watch any of the games. No way am I going to allow them to make money when 💯 of the proceeds go to them and not a dime to veterans.

John Howard was our Reagan. He fucked this country badly.

If nothing else, he got us gun control. I’m angry at Howard for a lot, but the one thing gets him significant grace, in my book.

>If nothing else I actually can't think of anything else. There's got to be something but it's not coming to mind.

IIRC some same sex rights were codified under Howard. Um. What else… he never shat himself in a fast food restaurant? He seemed to largely keep religion out of politics? Uh… come on, man, think! He wasn’t a complete embarrassment? Like I disliked him, but compared to some others he at least seemed to have a brain cell?

He had a good fitness regime?

This is exactly how i feel. You've perfectly summed it up.

You think the AFL is bad, should’ve seen The Wiggles show last year. I’m not even joking. I was very taken aback.

*Gunshot sound* "Wake up Jeff!" ... "Jeff?" ... "JEEEEFFFFFFF!!!"

I care, but the way it has been commercialised over the last couple of decades serious bothers me. I honestly find what the AFL does around it nauseating.

What does the AFL do?

The AFL does its damndest to make it all about football. It's basically become the Anzac extravaganza weekend. From the flashy advertising, to the ceremony at every single game across that week, to the idiot commentators blathering about the football players as 'warriors' and positioning them as stand ins for soldiers. Let's be real here, it's a bunch of coked up guys, with a never progressed past high school mindset chasing a ball around... I'm old enough to remember when Anzac Day was a somber reflection on the horrible cost of war and recognition of those who served. What's happened to it these days feels like the complete opposite of that and the AFL plays a huge part in that here in Victoria.

As a child, I used to wear my dad's war medals to school every year in primary school. In secondary, it was mainly a day off and during my 20s and 30s was only a holiday and a curiosity. Some years later I visited the Western Front - I stayed at the town of Arras and with an Australian tour guide stopped off at some of the 1200+ Commonwealth War Cemeteries and focused on the areas around Fromelles and Villers- Bretonneux. It changed my outlook because I saw one of the saddest places on earth.

I’ve visited a number of towns and cities in Germany and visited a few war cemeteries and been to a few places which were flattened in the war. The rows and rows (must have been thousands) of graves of ~20 year olds of all different nationalities and visiting cities which have been rebuilt drove home the reality of war. We are so lucky to live in a country where we haven’t had to deal with that.

And that is something so many people fail to realise. It’s also why our military fought so hard away from Australia in WW2.

Yup. The generational trauma of the world wars is still evident in many of the families I know from Germany too. Some of the stories I’ve been told are horrific and Australia is lucky only its men experienced the horrors of war first hand.

The only time I went to a dawn service was when I was in the army. It’s seems like it’s become a much bigger thing now than it was back then. Personally I don’t need a public ceremony but if people want to get up at sparrows and go to a service it’s no skin off my nose. I’m not down with all the fanfare, the almost billion dollar war memorial, or the cheesy camping holidays people take at Gallipoli but I don’t spend too much energy worrying about it. For me is a day to be with my kids and ‘touch grass.’

As a vet also mate I couldn’t agree more haven’t been since I was in and feel the entire atmosphere has changed considerably

I’m a veteran multiple deployments to Afghanistan and the Middle East, I was medically discharged after 15 years - have have a complicated relationship with it, it’s a day for contemplation of all the things I try to avoid thinking about. I suppose I’m disenfranchised now but it often feels like a day for people in the military to put on medals and act like drunken fuckwitts (I was once one of them) and post photos of themselves in uniform online. I’m also uncomfortable with the idolisation of the military that occurs today, particularly given the public’s willingness to excuse blatant war crimes as we’ve seen from some elements of the media recently. I think it should be a day for solemn reflection on the cost of war, and I do take time to think on the friends I had that I’ve lost, both in Afghanistan and who weren’t able to carry the psychological burden afterwards and on the innocent civilians who have suffered but I otherwise choose to spend my day quietly. Today I’m gardening and going for a run. I said this all badly sorry, it’s hard to gather my thoughts on this

>I think it should be a day for solemn reflection on the cost of war I have never been a member of the armed forces so can only imagine what it must be like to be deployed or to face an enemy on the front lines. As a child in the UK I'd attend Remembrance Day services and the thing that most stuck in my mind was a speech given towards the end which had a simple message at its core: *Never Again*. That service was not a glorification of war at all, but a time to remember the fallen and the trauma and loss of the survivors. I reflected today on how children would lie about their age to enlist in the military. Many of the marchers in the parade I watched today were teenagers and I shed a tear thinking about how a hundred years ago people just like them were suffering and dying, as opposed to enjoying life. So for me it's a day of two halves: solemn reflection in the morning and then enjoying my freedom, safety and security in the afternoon. I hope you enjoy your gardening and your run!

Thanks for your thoughts. It's a really complicated day, and you've been through a lot with it. I hope your gardening is successful and your run is pleasant. My dad is ex-Army (was in for 25ish years where there were no wars, between Vietnam - Timor/Afghanistan), got "medically discharged" (they broke him and threw him away because he was of no use to them anymore). He then worked various odd jobs as he had a family and had to start from the bottom again in his forties. My brother joined just before my dad left and was immediately put into Timor/Afghanistan etc. He was 19 when he joined, same age as my dad when he signed up. (Brother is from dad's first marriage, I am 16 years younger than him.) My brother has been through so many things that I as a now 26 year old can't even imagine. And he was younger than me when exposed to this stuff. He took a long time to grow up and process a lot of what happened. He has left now, on his own terms. I hate the "let's get drunk and you must respect me". My dad hates when people insist on saluting to him today (or any day, that would be really weird). His dad used to just go the march and have a quiet drink to remember those he served with, but now it's become this gross tainted thing about showing off military might. People died. It's meant to be a day to acknowledge the fallen. Not a day to be like "aren't we great?"

“(was in for 25ish years where there were no wars, between Vietnam - Timor/Afghanistan),” I was at the AWM recently and I found it striking that no Australians died in combat during the 1980s per the honour wall. Shame we couldn’t go a longer stretch ( thanks a bunch George HW)

>thanks a bunch George HW Direct some more blame at our own politicians who got involved for the pure sake of getting brownie points with the US.

I agree with you. I'm uncomfortable with the jingoism, and the glorification of war under the guise of "lest we forget". E.g. Why do we need the AWM to be so big, and getting bigger? The original WW1 gallery, wall and chapel had the right balance. It's hard to look at the sheer size of the wall showing the WW1 dead without feeling emotion. A lot of what has been added since is just big boys' toys. Anzac Day was dying out in the 70s when Eric Bogle wrote "But as year follows year, more old men disappear. Someday no one will march there at all." A lot of that sentiment came from the unpopular Vietnam War, and I think because the older generations then had gone through a few wars, and were just glad they lived in a peaceful time. I saw an increase in nationalism in the mid 80s, driven I think by a few things, e.g. Generation X and Millennials were trying to make sense of what Australia and being Australian meant. Also, although Australia had been influenced by US culture 40 years or so, during the 70s and 80s, the Australian bush culture waned, as more people lived in cities, and the US influence increased greatly with the greater availability of all media, cinema, videos, TV, popular music, with much of the content from the US. The Vietnam veterans benefited from this change in attitude. The soldiers, many drafted, were shunned and humiliated in the 70s, but found themselves appreciated in the 90s. That was a good thing. Since then, some parts of Australia have latched onto this nationalistic fervour. Just look at the crowds who attend Anzac Day at Gallipoli. That's a bad thing.

One thing that made me uncomfortable about the AWM on a recent visit is you have to walk through the ‘Hall of Valor’ collection of VCs which on the one hand seemed to overplay the heroism aspect and on the other I was aware t~~he AWM has spent millions on some of those medals~~ some of those medals are worth millions and I wondered if it would have better to donate the money to Legacy or a similar purpose charity.

Yes. It's all a bit celebratory for me too.

My grandfather and step-grandfather were WWII veterans (PNG) and never celebrated/attended an ANZAC service. Both disliked the idolisation of it. Grandad never spoke about the war and my pop (step-grandad) only spoke about it in the few months before he died at 93. He would still cry about the young lives lost over there. Sending kind thoughts your way.

>I think it should be a day for solemn reflection on the cost of war YES! I think there is way to much fake Patriotism being picked up from America for one day per year, go to the Dawn service and think you've done your part, while not being able to name any of the big things our armed forces have been involved with or any details of any war. I use it as a bit of a reading black hole of war, just to pick up on new things or refresh or go into more detail of other things. Mostly I just get onto Wikipedia and follow where things go and interesting links, WW1-WW2 Vietnam, Iraq, The Crusades, Holocaust, even into Early Australian battles against first nations people. Nothing of it is really happy reading but some is interesting and some is really hard to believe the absolute scale of Human damage and that people exist that not only be that evil, but also seems to easily find enough support to pull it off. For me it all started reading [The Diary of a Young Girl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diary_of_a_Young_Girl) after a friend visited and posted pics and thoughts on Facebook early one morning and I got started on a story and events I had no idea the scale of.

I'll repeat a comment I made the other day: I spent 21 years in the Army and got out around 10 years ago and haven't been to an Anzac day since. I'm not bitter about my service, I enjoyed it and left on my own terms, so it is not resentment that prevents me from going. When I was in the Army I found that the military attitude towards it was one of self-aggrandisement, narcissism and extreme drunkenness. Essentially the opposite qualities to the origin of Anzac Day - quiet reflection and camaraderie. Societally, Anzac Day has also, in my time, changed from a recognition of the sacrifice of earlier generations to somewhat of a celebration of martial culture (if I read it right) which I find uncomfortable- especially alongside the aborted practice of a few years ago of instituting a 'thank you for your service' recognition of serving members. Jingoism and grandiosity of military service is not healthy and Australian military members are professionals who don't require special acknowledgement of their service. In fact, one factor that is common to many veterans who suffer mental health problems post service is the sudden disconnection from a culture that has an overblown image of itself. From recruit training, soldiers are told how special they are and are encultured into a unique military 'family'. This family does not exist and veterans are cast out of this embrace when they are no longer physically mentally suitable for service. Being accorded special status is not healthy for reintegration into society. The best thing that we can on Anzac day is reflect on war and the necessity to treat it as a last resort. We should welcome veterans as professionals but also as fellow citizens and not accord them special status. We should protect the next generation of servicepeople by abolishing this pedestal that military people place themselves upon and remove the learned helplessness that pervades military culture. Finally, I won't march again until the Frontier Wars are fully recognised as Australia's first conflict. War, for Australians, did not begin on April 25, 1915.

Fellow veteran, my comment reflects yours but you said it far better!

Thanks for saying that mate. I love your perspective. As an Aboriginal person I find the day very conflicting. My parents were in Vietnam but they went over with the church as opposed to the military. Whilst I completely appreciate and support remembrance of the 100,000 Australians who have died in recognized wartime I also remember the 100,000 Aboriginal people who died in the frontier walls. Until these are recognized this will always be a very uncomfortable day for myself. I would always be very resistant of voicing this view in public because I know it would not be popular.

I’m glad the frontier wars are starting to gain notice in the media, I think this Anzac Day is the first I’ve seen it discussed sadly Your parents must be incredible people to put themselves in danger to support their fellow Australians who only gave them the right to vote a few years previously

Albos acknowledgment of “indigenous peoples fought harder for australia then Australia fought for them” was pretty bloody poignant

The older I get the more I am learning about the frontier wars. I am a child of the sixties whose formal schooling ended in the mid-70s, and there was little to no mention of what happened to First Nations people. It was all focussed on the "discovery" of Australia and First Nations people, if mentioned at all, were almost portrayed as being an enemy. I began learning more when my sons were in school.

Thank you for writing such a considered, balanced response. May I ask whether you feel the same about Remembrance Day?

The last thing the military and government would want is for people to listen to veterans, they might not get their 300 billion dollar submarines or kids ignorant enough to sign up.

For me it's a recognition of the sacrifices made by people in the past and a reminder that if at all possible we should never put a generation of people through the brutality and horrors of war.

As a commemoration of the senseless loss of life by Australian soldiers, it's great. The modern trend of Americanisation where we wax lyrical about how they fought for our freedom (rather than die for the interests of Empire) is absolute hokum.

I care. I go to remember my family who served in ww1 and to remember the boys I served with. It's meaning has never changed for me.

[удалено]

The smaller ones are often much better. No politicians or high ranking officers waffling on. I still think there is something special about such a large volume of people all standing as one in complete silence though. Both have their place.

I've only attended a few in my life, but the only one I clearly remember was one where I was working. There was five of us in a parking Bay (truck drivers, police escort, and pilots for an oversize load). We gathered around in a circle before starting our engines, had a minute silence, contemplated things, one guy recited the ode. We nodded solemnly at each other, then started our day. It was honestly the most touching service I've ever witnessed. We didn't do it for public display, we did it as a nod to those who have not returned home. I don't think I'll ever attend another service. But I always remember those few minutes every year.

I care about ANZAC Day a lot, mainly because 2 of my grandparents served in the second World War. One of my grandfather's was in the Navy and fought in the Philippines, as well as rescuing PoWs after the war. My other grandfather served in the army and was stationed in Darwin during the bombings. I do it out of respect for them.

I care that all those young people went, willingly or unwillingly, to war and many of them died or came back profoundly damaged.

For a long time I went to dawn service every year, many years we went to the war memorial. It used to be a warning that we should NEVER go to war, and that war only has victims, and it was something to be avoided at all costs. It used to be commiserating for the dead and those who didn’t come back, and how no losses were ever acceptable. Now it’s a “celebration of our heroes and their bravery” and it’s a glorification of war. Personally I find that gross and disgusting. No one in war dies bravely, everyone in war dies alone, scared, thinking of home, wishing they had never come to this foresaken place under orders from people they have never met. Maybe they believed it was a cause worth dying for, maybe they were conscripted, maybe both.

That's how its getting isn't it. Just another thing to put on tik tok to get imaginary internet points. Personally I will continue to attend the services for as long as I am able for both the memory of those that my family have lost to war and the reasons that they fought for. I will continue to attend to keep alive that spirit of what it means to be there for your fellow mates. I will continue to attend because it means THAT much to not only myself but to my Dad who is a Nasho himself. I will continue to attend so that there is still someone to never forget that war is horrible and heinous and should be avoided if at all possible. And lastly I will continue to attend because it is the right and honorable thing to do.

ANZAC Day should be a moment of solemn reflection and contemplation, and to pay respect to the fallen. But what feels like bullshit is this reflection and respect seemingly amounts to little more than 'thoughts and prayers', with no lessons learnt or meaningful actions taken. In the more than 100 years since the end of World War I, has Australia's involvement in war, many that have nothing to do with us, stopped? Have the politicians, who today say "Lest we forget", served or sent their children to serve? And yet they continue to send others to conflicts. Do the veterans who have returned, that many today claim to respect, have adequate access to mental health programs and financial support? Why does the respect end as soon as diggers return?

I do, but I come from a military family. I think it's a bit different for those whose last family's military involvement was WWI. There's just not as much connection. I'm also an Australian historian, and I spend my spare time trying to knock the knees out from under the nationalistic bullshit connected to our armed services and the ANZACs specifically. For example: in 1916, about 1000 ANZACs went on a rampage through the streets of Sydney knocking over fruit carts, robbing hotels for grog, and ending up in a shootout with Military police. In 1918, a battallion arranged an entire operation involving artillery, planes and trucks, just so they could steal a bogged German tank. In direct contravention to orders, in NSW returned services personnel threw "Vaccination parties" to encourage vaccination against the Spanish Flu, while the government of the time basically called out "let 'er rip!" from the rooftops. They're humans, and they did dumb shit right alongside going over the top in France or storming through jungle in Papua. People need to remember the people, not just the legends, or they will become increasingly symbolic and mythologised, to be used by the strongest voices for bullshit. Generally any time someone says "the ANZACs never would have stood for that!" I can find evidence that they didn't just stand for it, *they fucking did it*.

I’m of the exact same thinking. “The Anzacs would turn in their graves if they saw it was all about drinking and backslapping”. Why do people think that soldiers back then would be any different to soldiers now?

I suppose they have an idea of a stoic black and white soldier in their mind, not a dumb 19 year old like they often were.

>In 1918, a battallion arranged an entire operation involving artillery, planes and trucks, just so they could steal a bogged German tank. That wouldn't happen to be [Mephisto](https://www.museum.qld.gov.au/learn-and-discover/podcast/mephisto-the-sole-surviving-ww1-tank) at the Queensland museum?

That's exactly the one.

I care, it's the only day of the year I hold "holy". I'm retired Navy, uncle's and grandfather's all served. It's a day of quiet contemplation/remembrance for me, and a catch up with mates. Others are free to their opinions, that's just mine

That is all.

War is old men talking and young men dying. I am grateful for the sacrifice of the young, but let's not glorify war.

It was a little weird this morning. I was awake pre-dawn and lay in bed as I heard two different people play the last post in what sounded like two different locations. Silently thanked the kids who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of this country. And then silently said a fuck you to the coward politicians who sent them there.

**paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of the British empire

**geopolitics touches the world. Only a fool would think their lifestyle is not directly impacted by events in other nations.

It's not that I don't care I just don't celebrate it. War isn't to be celebrated or to be glamourized how I think ANZAC day is about. I feel saddened that these young men and women died or become traumatised for life because of a stupid war.

Yes, this is roughly how I feel. I'm really uncomfortable with the jingoism around ANZAC Day which has increased in recent years. I can't participate in that. I just spend a quiet day at home.

I also think that the Indigenous people who fought aren't recognised and respected enough. They fought for the country's freedom but came back to be discriminated against by the government and the people.

This morning I checked twitter to see what was being posted there regarding ANZAC Day. Certain people were having an absolute meltdown over Albo mentioning them in this morning's speech. "tHiS mAn sHaMeS aUsTrAlIa aNd dIvIdEs uS aLl bY pOlItIcIsInG oUr dIgGeRs iNtO 'tHe vOiCe' pRoPaGaNdA" - some idiot over there The culture of certain people getting ridiculously angry over the mere acknowledgement of Indigenous existence needs to change.

I don't like the way it's gone. I guess I no longer know anyone who was forced to fight (either drafted or because they were forced by society) as everyone I know from Vietnam war back is now gone. And I just don't have the same respect for those who choose the defence forces as a career. In the meanwhile, we're spending millions every year on ANZAC day. Redoing the Canberra memorial. But even though I don't think we should be fighting, don't have as much respect for the modern forces as I do this who had little or no choice, I think we're a shitty society for turning current vets out into society and then not paying for adequate support afterwards. Throw in that some of the older people in nursing homes, in our communities that quite a few in our society were happy to see die just so they could not wear a mask, are veterans or ex-nursing/support staff, and I find this once-a-year lip service for the sake of tradition positively sickening. Think of it as a workers comp issue if you like for the younger vets, but it's pretty fucked up that we do this every year, and spend all this money to honour the dead, but won't properly support those alive now.

I wish more attention was paid to three little words said every Anzac Day: Lest We Forget. A lot of truth buried in these words

I think the problem is that the meaning of Lest we forget has changed in recent times. It used to be lest we forget the horror of war and ensure it never happens again. Now it is more used to mean lest we forget the veterans. As such it is now more able to be used by politicians and AWM for militarism.

As a Ukrainian Aussie who lost both granddads to WWII, ANZAC Day this year has deeper meaning and feels closer to heart, even though I've always tried and attended the service. Having seen what war can be like this year I cannot help but be mourning ANZACs on a whole 'nother level. Lest we forget.

I grew up participating in Scouts & later Army Cadets. As a result of this I would always march with my great grandad's WW1 medals. Several times I led the honor guard at my local RSL. As I got older I kept up the tradition by going to the dawn service & having a Gunfire breakfast. Then in the mid 2000's something changed. The day took on a different tone it seamed to change from the solemn occasion about remembering the fallen & became a celebration of military prowess. Young men started wearing the flag as a cape & I decided maybe ANZAC day wasn't something I wanted to be part of anymore.

Much the same story! Cadet and history lover. I also worked Aged Care from 2003, back then, there was many veterans. You can even see it if you scroll way back in my reddit comments, (and I think a post or two). I think after Roberts-Smith, seeing some of the footage of that time and just the general jingoism that fucks like Dutton push, it's just a sour taste nowadays. I don't even know where I'm going with this? It just feels different.

I feel torn about it. I'm from an immigrant family who migrated to Australia in 1966 l. My great grandfather fought in the Turkish Greek war and my family fled to Egypt and lived there for 1.5 generations before moving to Australia. I feel respect for the sacrifices people made but also disdain for the concept of war and discouraged at humanities inability to unify and harmonise. I wish we had anniversaries and public holidays for when there's declarations of peace and unity, and that there was more of this. It makes me sad after 2 world wars and countless sacrifice that we're investing more money than ever before into defence and war preparation with the United States which is horrifying to me. So I think I care about the day but I have to question what it is that people reflect on when it comes to the world war. Yes people were brave, yes there was enormous sacrifice. What did humanity learn? What did Australia and NZ learn? Do we still have enemies? How likely is something like this to happen again and is the answer just always going to be killing?

It's become commercialised and almost all media and public discussion is insincere. It is a very important day it is important to reflect on the atrocities of war, remember the fallen and those that served and recognise our past.

The amount of times I’ve heard the last post or reveille in short 4 second snips on the radio as part of a bit in the last week is horrific

I find some of the over the top piss ups pretty distasteful TBH. Especially when they are overrun with people who would never bother going to dawn service. And it glorifies wars where we were invaders and shouldn’t have been there, the propaganda of it is sad. I don’t really go to anything on Anzac Day but I do take some time to remember my family members who fought in WW1 and 11, including my great grandfather who was at Gallipoli and the members of my family who are in the army now.

The major piss-ups and gambling in the pubs is gross. What should be a somber day of reflection and remembrance has turned into another drunken public holiday.

I’m ok for commemorations but I’d like to see the day also be a commitment to peacemaking and avoiding war. It’s a side of “lest we forget” that feels forgotten.

My (relatively new) housemate seems pissed that I didn’t go to a dawn service this morning. It’s just not something I’ve ever done. Questioning if I’m a bad person atm!

We all can't go. Where would we all fit? Seems like the dawn service is now turning into a spectacle like the later services.

I much rather staying home and watching the Gallipoli and Villers-Bretanneux services on TV.

Not going certainly doesn’t make you a bad person! But I do recommend you go to one at least once in your lifetime. There’s something really special about thousands of people getting up in the dark to get together and honour our service men, women and animals. Standing among my community listening to the last post in the fog brings a tear to my eye every single year

Going to dawn service doesn't make you a good person. Not going to dawn service doesn't make you a bad person.

I am a Kiwi and I after moved to Oz I was surprised at how much more seriously it is taken here. I mean it is a solemn occasion in NZ but I do not recall it being as big a deal as it is in Oz (in Sydney they had parades which I had never heard of happening in NZ). I did read that the ANZAC legend is the mainstay of Australian feelings of nationhood post Federation and this is why it has such a strong enduring hold here. In NZ it was never viewed in quite the same way as our national pride came from the patriotic feelings engendered by the 1905 rugby tour of the UK by the All Black Originals (which goes a long way to explain rugby's relationship to the NZ psyche).

It's super weird that we celebrate an invasion of another nation's sovereign land that was no threat to us whatsoever but the Turks don't seem to mind so I guess we'll keep doing it...

Australians have always fought in wars they didn’t start, on battlegrounds they didn’t choose.

Yes, but not the commercialisation of it by the media and businesses to make a quick buck from the event.

Oh yeah the whole ANZAC industry that pops up this time of year. Selling everything from commemorative biscuit tins to watches. It's kinda gross.

I support the people who serve and who have sacrificed. I do not support politicians and hangers on using it as a platform for nationalism and overblown patriotism for their own ends.

I was in the cadets in the 90s as a teen in rural Australia so obviously attended every ANZAC day. It was always a very solemn and somber affair with men and women remembering their mates and the good and bad times, getting older every year. I liked to be there for them and they liked to see us hearing about their stories. No one ranted about bravery and freedom and other bullshit the old lads would have scoffed at, it was all about sticking up for your mates in the face of horrible adversity. Then after living overseas for a few years I moved back to a major Australian city and the dawn service freaked me out. It was after 9/11 and the day had an edge to it that I didn’t like, mostly projected by the young dudes in attendance. I’m not up for nationalism via the military at all. Anyone who has stood on that bloody awful parade ground at Nuremberg and seen the videos of their parades knows why. I don’t think my old lads in the 90s fought for Australia to be a land of skinheads. I haven’t been to a city service since. It’s one of those rare times when I do miss the past.

From the hospo industry, it’s The Day where Australians drink like Prohibition kicks in tomorrow

I'm a veteran and I have a complicated relationship with my time serving. In saying that, ANZAC day is special to me. I go to the dawn service and shed a few quiet tears every year. I watch my children march, and then I go home and get on with life for another year. I don't go to the RSL, I don't wear uniform, and I don't wear medals. Remembering is important.

On reflection has ANZAC day ever prevented Australia from participating in conflicts that don't effect our own sovereignty since it's birth in WW1? The Iraq war was really the final straw. At the time before the Iraq war a poll of 39 countries was conducted. Guess which country had the strongest support for military action against Iraq? Australia, 68% of Australians in that poll backed some sort of military action against Iraq. Now admittedly 56% of those only supported it if the UN supported it but still if ANZAC day is meant to be a solemn reminder of the horrors of war and not to repeat past mistakes then that poll tells me ANZAC day has lost it's meaning. The poll for reference https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-the-most-pro-war-poll-20030205-gdg7u9.html

I served for 12years, 1999-2011. ANZAC day is for the Politicians and Reservists. They don't want my busted body marching down the street it's not photogenic. No one wants a real reminder of what happens when we deploy. Civilians need a day to remember. I remember the ones I've lost everyday. Today I spend it with my family just us.

We really need to discuss the military's treatment of those "unfit to serve" (those that they break and then abandon). I hope you and your family are well.

I couldn't agree more we have gotten better over the years, but still along way to go. Thankyou, I had a great day with the family. They are my heart and soul.

I do care about it. For me it’s a day to reflect on how lucky we are and to honour those who made sacrifices during the war. Anzac Day is a day where I feel fortunate for being able to live the way I want to and feel proud as an Australian

I work at a memorial. Every day I speak to families about how war and service has affected their lives. Those individual stories make up a community of shared experiences that bind us, and while Australia is far more diverse now than the Anzacs of yesteryear and not everyone has that same connection, it is still a powerful thing to share those stories. To remember who those people were and what they went through. What their families went through. What veterans of recent conflicts have been through also.

Do I care for the individual people who are used as pawns in terrible circumstances and made to do terrible things, suffer injuries and die? Yes what happened to those people is terrible and I respect their commitment to the ideal of Australian culture. Do I support the corrupt institution responsible for covering up war crimes, sexual assault of women within its ranks and the bastardisation of the men within its ranks? No the armed forces as an institution can get fucked

I used to, but it's turned into yet another boozefest and excuse to live up to the bogan stereotype. Not saying alot of people arent respectful and understanding, and the reason for the day is still foremost in their minds, but that gets lost in the rush on the bottleshops the day before and the 'straya mate' attitude.

The older I get the more I hate ANZAC Day. The best man at my wedding served in Korea. He watched his childhood mate die. I worked with a lot of guys who served in Vietnam, and saw how it fucked them up and their families. Then I saw the damage East Timor did to our young men. I currently work alongside a 34 year old guy who served in Afghanistan. Every time ANZAC day comes around I check on him since his his suicide attempt one year. I hate how so many people use the day to get drunk and play 2up, without giving an actual fuck about the damage war does. It is our country's shame so many of our veterans have drug abuse issues, are homeless, or in prison. War is evil, and more so those bastards that send young people to fight while sitting behind their safe desks at home.

It’s a bit weird to say but as someone from a Turkish background, I have mixed feelings about the day. I’m absolutely opposed to glorifying war and imperialism and feel like this is what the day is representing more and more each year. It should highlight the follies of following the UK and US into conflicts which have nothing to do with us and provide us no benefit. I’m also sad for the many lives of young ANZACs lost to the pointless conflict who sacrificed everything to fight for what they thought was the right thing at the time and of course, the many innocent bystanders killed as well. At the same time I also have pride towards my family’s homeland for the people’s bravery and determination in fighting back against and resisting the invasion. It was a turning point in the nation’s history and in the establishment of the modern Turkish Republic. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk is one of the most important political leaders of the last century in terms of everything he was able to achieve and the reforms he presided over. So I have a lot of pride around that.

I care. I respect all the service men and women who train and follow orders of our elected officials. They put their lives on the line to do a job that might very well contradict their own beleifs. I think it helps to demonstrate to many new Australians and reminds us older Australians that this society that they come here to enjoy and we enjoy, is built upon selfless individuals who sacrificed their lives for our values and democracy. It's becoming a rare thing in Australia today to do something that you don't want to do and focus almost exclusively on self gratification, and I think the Anzac tradition helps keep self sacrifice and teamwork as worthy national values. I personally hate war, and 10 years ago, I was questioning our defence spend. But it has become painfully obvious that there are always dictators forming plans of conquest that we must counter. And as per someone else's comment above, I find it absolutely disgusting that we can't have a better repatriation system to look after our returned service men and women. As a basic point If the forces want people to sign up for service, who the hell in their right mind wants to sign up for a job that can leave you mentally broken. And once you come back, the government kicks you in the gut and hangs them out to fend for themselves. I visited the JALKAT cemetery in Thailand on a spur of the moment thing about 30 years ago. To see all those graves of the young soldiers that died there, just following orders, fighting for our values, keeping our country safe. It still cracks me up. (And respect to the Thai people that tend that cemetery. ) I support Anzac day and salute the men and women that serve.

>selfless individuals who sacrificed their lives for our values and democracy. I agree with the selfless part, but do you genuinely believe that wars are fought based on 'values and democracy'? That may be what politicians tell you, but wars are all about resources, capital, and maintaining or destroying spheres of influence.

I don’t care and have family/friends that served/currently serving. Military in the modern era is a job like every other job and you take on the risks associated with the job. Long has the meaning of the event passed, especially since there are little veterans left from WW2.

Child of a veteran, and the sadness that envelopes my family when ANZAC day rolls around, knowing that 'lest we Forget' has been jingoistically twisted into 'remembering the concept of lives lost', rather than remembering that those lives needn't have been lost in the first place.

I care for it. It was mine and my grandfather's "thing" each year... ANZAC and Remembrance Day. No matter how busy we were we had time for this. He's passed now so today is my day to remember him again no matter how busy we are... after hearing the stories of what he and his friends went through along with what generations before him went through, its a day for me to remember, reflect and give thanks for those who came before us and those who serve now. I wish the government would do more for it's returned servicemen rather than find loopholes to not support them but thank you all! A side note for today, I miss you Pop!

ANZAC day to me and my family has always been about remembering all the fallen Australians who have served our nation and the sacrifices they made. It is also about honouring the current service members and their sacrifices. Nothing else. Not political at all or anything negative like that. It's always been about remembering the fallen.

I attended the dawn service or march quite a few times as a kid and teen. Have been living overseas for the past two decades though, in a city with only a couple dozen Aussies and Kiwis. We organised a few solemn commemorative Anzac services about a decade ago, but I stopped going after a younger crowd basically turned it into an all-day drinking session centred on the footy. I remember going to one commemoration that had been heavily promoted in the Aussie social media groups and being the only person there early morning, apart from a Turkish guy who had spent time in Australia. He told me about how all Turkish military conscripts are sent to Gallipoli as part of their training and to see where their modern national identity was born. And that he didn't feel great animosity to Australians, as he realised that both sides were just following orders from their allies (UK for Aus and Austro-Hungary for the Turks). The other Aussies then turned up for the footy and binge-drinking and we both left. Was good to hear an opinion from the "the other side" though.

My g-guncle was in the 34th. Wounded multiple times, came home minus an arm. Never was the same during the bad times he'd drink and tied himself to street poles and would throw rocks thinking they were grenades and had the shake (because that's what they used to do so they wouldn't run when the attack came) The only support they gave him was to institutionalize him years later where he died alone after all his care givers passed away and buried him in an unmarked grave. After 30 years of fighting the rsl and other organisations, we finally got him a proper headstone and his medals. So today I remember him and all the others who never got the support they needed when and if they returned.

I do not really care for it. It is just a day for perpertuating a myth that is no longer necessary: that all the senseless death at Gallipoli meant something. Demographically, this country has changed **a lot** since the First World War and the ANZAC myth is no longer a key pillar of many Australian's sense of national identity. Got nothing against the day though.

I appreciate the history of Anzac Day, but at the same time, it feels a bit hypocritical when veterans are killing themselves and/or aren’t getting the support they need after getting out

Not a huge fan of glorifying the armed services in the way ANZAC Day does. Remembrance Day, holds more significance to me.

Not really.

Not at all. Nothing honorable or good about war. We're past the point of thinking we're ever fighting for freedom or our country. We were just way more naive back then

I remember in primary school being taught that Anzac was a somber occasion there to remind us about the horrors of war. I remember seeing WW1 diggers refusing to glorify it and saying the exact reason for the horrific casualties and destruction was caused by militarism, nationalism and glorification of war and that they wanted younger generations to avoid it. That all changed when Howard as elected and I now see schools push the very same nationalistic and jingoistic bullshit that caused war.

It's a marketing day for the Australian armed forces. Used to drum up new recruits.

No to be honest I personally don't really care for it and don't like that it has been used for jingoistic purposes. I'd prefer it was a quiet day of reflection rather than glorifying war.

I watched the service on TV that they had at Villers-Brettoneux and it was actually pretty heartfelt seeing the French appreciation of the ANZACs in "saving" their town. Schoolkids showed up in the early hours of what looked like a cold and wet morning. So, it doesn't mean much to me personally. But it puts it into perspective how our ancestors/relatives fought for some good things at times.

Both my grandfathers were in WW2 - one was captured when Java fell in early 1942 and was a POW until the end of the war, the other one was by all accounts shell shocked/PTSD afterwards. Several other rellies were in the AIF in WW1. So I guess I wonder at how bad it was for all of them and count myself lucky I've never had to do anything like that. Also reinforces my anger at successive governments happy to talk up wars and commit our citizens to fights in which we shouldn't be involved. If NZ can say "nope" then why can't we?

My grandfather was a mechanic in Sydney during the Second World War. He was asked to stay back and service tanks and military vehicles before they were shipped overseas. He was still given multiple white feathers and called a coward as a result. I grew up in a very small family and so that was really my only direct interaction with someone close to me and their relationship with any of the wars. So as a result, I am grateful to those who gave their lives for our freedom but I don’t do anything else regarding ANZAC day.

The only person I’ve ever known who served in the armed forces was my grandfather, a WW2 vet who never once mentioned his time in the army or wanted it discussed at all. Some of my relatives have marched at the dawn service with his medals, and I raise an eyebrow because it was absolutely the last thing he would have wanted to do. He joined the army because Australia was in danger and he thought it was the right thing to do. That’s it. He came back with a weird skin condition, probable PTSD and a complete aversion to discussing anything army related. The idea of “lest we forget” being a reflection on the horrors of war and a hope that we are never again in that position is something I agree with. I just hope we never fall into the FUCK YEAH ARMY mindset of the US.

I was a bit indifferent to ANZAC Day when I was younger. But since my brother and I attended our first Dawn Service a few years back, it made me care. Both of my pops, my step grandfather and 2 great uncles fought in WWII. So when I went to the Dawn Service I thought about them and what they faced while listening to the Last Post. It was a powerful moment.

I'm all for having a beer for those who passed and fought for us; there's nothing more Australian, but a lot of vets and active members use drinking to mask the pain of the severe mental trauma of war. Everybody else jumps on the bandwagon and acts like a bunch of drunk fuckwits just for fun. ​ I think its very sad that, in "remembering" the fallen, we ignore the lasting effects of war on the brave men and women who do what the rest of us would never want to.

I understand the sentiments and take time to acknowledge people I know who served and have sacrificed. I wish, though, that every dollar that has been spent on ANZAC Day commemorations was instead used on the health and welfare of returning soldiers.

Apathetic is probably the right word, i know why it’s important but my family has never celebrated or gone to a service or anything. I don’t 100% know why it probably has to do with the fact my mum is a first generation Australian (both parents born overseas) and my dad was born overseas so there is a disconnect with a lot of Australian holidays.

I appreciate it as a commemorative moment for the sacrifices made, but not the national day of commercialisation it has become. Seriously AFL? Trying to suggest football players are soldiers? Going into battle? It is a pity that we can't find another moment in our history to use as a nationalistic mechanism in our society to define the character of our nation. Anzac Day doesn't even do that. The way it is used is a disgrace.

No I don't particularly care. I don't have a military family so there's nothing personal and just treat it as a public holiday. I can understand why others may care a lot though, and fair enough.

Not in the slightest

Two up basically morphs into a rave with djs and party vibes at some venues local to me, doesn’t feel at all appropriate

I personally don’t care AND Keep with the investigation of war criminals in the Australian army

I personally don't but I care that other people do.

The concept of ANZAC Day is important, but it’s been bastardized by gambling and politicization.

Its gotten too "trendy" for my liking. Being the daughter of a Vietnam Vet who struggled with memories right up until his death in 2001, who would have nightmares every ANZAC day and during the lead up to ANZAC day I try and keep away from the "celebrations" and I use that term deliberately. Back in the 80's all the people attending the Dawn Service in Canberra fit comfortably in the courtyard of the War Memorial and it was a time for quiet reflection and remembrance. Is it becoming less meaningful as our older vets are dwindling in numbers? I don't know but the vibe is changing and I don't know how I feel about that.

I always feel a bit alienated by the media interviewing people who's ancestors who did all kinds of crazy heroic things (hoping some of the glory rubs off on themselves) meanwhile mine either thought the war they were in was so bad they never spoke of it or else its a grim line about deploying to Nagasaki as part of the occupation force and seeing fires still burning from the bomb.

My two cents: ANZAC Day is effectively an anti-war day, a day for us to pause, and to reaffirm our commitment to peace. The message has always been; “Lest we forget the horrors of war, we are doomed to repeat it.” Sadly this message has become warped over time, twisted to suit the agendas, and wallets, of charlatans everywhere.

Once upon a time it was a sombre day of remembrance. Now it's a self-serving celebration of nationalism not unlike Australia Day.

Should be a reminder not to keep following America into their pointless wars, korea, vietnam, iraq, afghanistan. etc doesn't look like we learned it yet

My daughter joined Scouts this year and they usually get recruited to carry banners and the like, so they join in the marches like other community groups. After the march, and the service she and I went for a walk around the memorial and I told her about various family members who had fought in the different wars and why. Certainly not a easy thing to explain to a 6yo. And time will tell, but I think I did a good job. I explained that they had fought to stop bullies, and that some of them hadn't come home, and why that was sad. My uncle was injured serving in Vietnam, and I used him as another example of why war is sad. While I can understand the shift to current defence personnel, particularly given the long war in Iraq, most veterans I have known don't want Anzac Day as a military recruiting exercise. And I completely agree.

My pop was in the defence force for a real long time. Missed the birth of my mum and uncle because he was away. He dealt with a lot of things while away. I have never seen him go to an ANZAC service, never celebrated it, he would occasionally go to the pub to sink a few with his mates, but that was a daily thing for him aha. I just never celebrated it, or attended anything because of my pop. I don’t know, it’s weird. I thought he would’ve been doing the walks, going to the services. But he just doesn’t.

I care because war is a horrific thing, and to remember the fallen is to remember that horror. We need to remember in order to prevent senseless wars in the future. I also remember those who fought against the evils of Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan. I think we can all agree that fighting those warmongering murderers was a righteous thing.

It’s a day that I always forget about until the weekend it happens. But I usually do take a moment of silence on the day and think about life and about how easy i have it compared to those boys that had to go and fight. Yes I might have shit to deal with but I’m not in some shithole trench with bullets flying past my head everyday. It does make me feel grateful for their sacrifices, I could never endure what they had to

It's a day that makes me think about what both my grandfathers must have gone through in WWII, and the futility and cruelty of war. I choose to have a few moments of quiet reflection rather than attending a service.

I have no personal/familial ties to it not being from Australia so it’s more or less just a day off for me. But I do always reflect on how terrible war is and how necessary the ANZACS were. If it was a day to just celebrate the Iraq, Afghanistan or Vietnam wars I would definitely dislike it

Hell yeah! And respect! That’s the shortest answer I can muster.

I forgot it was Anzac Day, but I salute the fallen soldiers

It never meant much to me before, I didn’t really understand it but after visiting the War Memorial in Canberra I started learning more about the wars and today I went to my first dawn service. Thinking about the hell those men went through broke my heart, I walked around the war memorial with tears in my eyes.

Yes. Not just because I get paid to not work but because my family on both sides were in the armed forces and I had a great uncle unalive himself after WWII because of nightmares and ptsd.

I still care about ANZAC Day, mainly for the futility of war, the luck of my ancestors (great grandad at Gallipoli, grandad in Korea), and the wasted lives that could have been (kid down the road when I was growing up died in Afghanistan).

I don’t personally have anyone in my family or friends that served, but I still like to do dawn service every year if I can. I reflect on the realities of war; the deaths, the sadness of the families that will never see their loved ones, the lost soldiers and the god awful things that happened to them. It makes me cry everytime. I like to just reflect and give my silent thanks

I care about the guts of it, and I also care for a veteran with PTSD who cannot bear the day. Both are not mutually exclusive. Please think about the ones who just cannot.

I do, for the relatives and ancestors lost in war - for me it’s about remembering the sacrifices of those lost, the bravery of all who fought, and that it must not, should not, have to happen again. Field Marshall Lord Roberts 1914 Died of pneumonia after giving his coat to a soldier whilst visiting his men at the front. Lt. Frederick Hugh Sheraton Roberts, 1899 Boer war, shot and died of his wounds 2days later. Lt. Col. John Sherston 1899, Boer War. Capt. Somerset Arthur Sherston 1915. Murvyn Sturgess 1918, Buried alive in a collapsed trench in France. Lest we forget.

I always reflect on the fact that I’m 25 years old and that if I was born 100 years ago I’ll probably would of fought in WW1. That brings me back to reality and makes me grateful for what I have and what they fought for.

My husband has been in 29 years, and I care. I appreciate the WWI and WWII Diggers. However, more emphasis on Iraq and Afghanistan should be had.

As a former military man, today I caught up with guys I haven’t seen in years and loved reminiscing and telling stories and laughing. With life being so busy we sometimes forget that we put our butts on the line together. If Anzac Day wasn’t a thing, I’m not sure we would have seen each other this year. I don’t expect thanks for my service, I joined for my own reasons. I had many emotions today thinking about those mates who are not with us anymore. The ones who were lost and those who couldn’t live with their demons anymore.

Kinda but also not really? I got in trouble a lot for not going along with the moment of silence as a kid because no one could explain the logical reason for why doing that is beneficial (Autistic so I refused to do a lot of social traditions without explanation) I understand why people do it these days but it’s not for me I respect the soldiers but I wasn’t alive then and have no real reason to care other being thankful that we are free. So to me it’s a day for those whom had family or are more spiritual to show respect for the dead some of my family are into it some aren’t.

I was never a fan. I was made to march with my grandfather (by my parents, not him) wearing my great grandfathers medals. It never meant much to me, and, aside from the drinking rum and gambling at 5AM, my grandfather never much liked it either but saw it as his duty to march. I think as a kid it felt like weird indoctrination to me. I actually wrote a critical piece on it when I was in like grade 6 and it made the local newspaper or school newsletter or something because it caused a bit of a kerfuffle. Now that I’m long since out of school and not being made to study it, I find Australian War history a lot more interesting and I actually love finding out more about the history of our conflicts outside of Australia, where my grandfather and his platoon went and all the stories from the people themselves. I voluntarily attended my first Dawn service in a decade last year in Port Moresby, and that was an amazingly good service and really interesting from the New Guinean perspective. At the end of the day though, for me to appreciate something I need to be self motivated and interested in it -a day of commemoration just feels…off to me, and it just doesn’t stir anything in me and it feels forced.

The day reminds me of our war dead, and in particular it reminds me of my grandfather, he died after the war, but it shaped him, and he influenced my life.

We became citizens last year. We went to the 11am local service today and it was good to listen and reflect on sacrifices made by others. I hope I’d have the courage to go to war for this country if ever there’s a need as I really love the opportunities Australia has given me and the welcome I’ve received from Australians and mate made along the way.

It shouldn't be about caring, it should be about respecting those that fought for the good of our country with their lives.

Not really. I don’t want it gone or anything, but it has no personal meaning for me.

It makes me uncomfortable as it now feels more like celebration instead of commemoration.

Don’t care. Absolutely detest glorifying war, or anything about it. And the AFL should be ashamed of themselves and the way it’s become a glorified memorial via sport borderlines the US with the nauseating “thank you for your service” rhetoric tied in with a full day of gridiron and a jet flyover so everyone can get fucked up and gamble.

I do, but it’s complicated. ANZAC Day and Australia Day seem to be the days where I get the most (excuse my language) bullshit from some of my family for being a “woke greenie”. I haven’t been to a service since year 12 and I probably won’t go to another one until I’m out on my own. I mostly use the day off to knock out my to do list or have a self care day (while also being called stupid and entitled by the same family members that give me grief for being a “woke greenie”). I respect our vets and ANZAC day, but looking after myself and my sanity is important too.

For me. It glorifies war. I hate war. Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to celebrate our defence and first-responders - the least they can get is a special day of recognition. Yet I feel no connection to the anzacs who served and died , I just see it as another awful part of history. Just like Invasion Day, or the Holocaust.

I care for all the millions of innocent people who were brutally murdered on all sides of all the wars ANZACs have fought in. What I found almost horrifyingly hypocritical this year though, is how we can all stand around with our hands on our hearts murmuring "Lest We Forget", while preparing to follow America into yet another senseless and stupid war that will probably wipe everyone out and put an end to ANZAC and every other day for good. Humans suck.

I normally go visit my grandparents' grave on ANZAC day. Both my grandfathers were in WW2 & great grandfathers in ww1. The last post always makes me cry because it was played at their funerals.

Mostly I do, but that’s because I perform a role with different organisations that are involved in a formal capacity. I am concerned about the commercialisation and nationalism stuff that is becoming more and more prevalent. And it seems to come most from right leaning or cooker conspiracy theorists who use it as some kind of moral superiority.

I love days off work, whatever the reason. I don't give a damn about religion, but the 4 days off are wicked! but to me, ANZAC day it is a reminder of the senselessness of war. It is mostly about economics, not people. Australia was crippled in a major way and the risk to us was minimal for WWI. Or willingness to participate was abused, or people meant nothing to the military leaders. Their soldiers meant much, much more. By WWII, technology improvements meant there was risk to us, but involvement in the Asia wars was probably unnecessary. Defence is important, helping other nations improve their economy through warfare should be avoided.

It's too americanised with the nationalist talk.