99yo WWII British RAF Bomber vet dies with no friends or family

[davek]

A guy who got his legs blown off in the 'Stan, noticed an old man who was a WWII veteran who had no one to attend his funeral. He asked for a few people to show up to honour the man, which he deserved. 300 service men and women (and maybe some non service people) took time out of their day and lives to show up to honour a man they'd never met.

And some of you think it's a publicity stunt designed to see attention for themselves.

Have a word with yourself people. Seriously just slit your wrists now if that's all you think life is because there's no point going on if you can't even find an ounce of positivity in this story.

That's a caricature of what's been put forward. The cynicism, if that's the right word, is trained on the reality of our old people shoved off into homes and ignored in their final years, but then given a massive send off in death when it's no ****ing use to them whatsoever. A man who's life was treated as the full stop on the two week period of remembrance. As another poster said: he's not a symbol for strangers to latch onto. He's a human being.

 

[dholliday]

And some of you think it's a publicity stunt designed to see attention for themselves.

Have a word with yourself people. Seriously just slit your wrists now if that's all you think life is because there's no point going on if you can't even find an ounce of positivity in this story.

Who are you even replying to?

If we're not free in the Ale House to openly discuss conscious shows of support for the military, then I wanna know why not.

Slit our wrists if we don't find positivity in yet more army fawning? Especially when the price of such worship is in dispute?

Behave!

 

[steken1]

Who are you even replying to?

If we're not free in the Ale House to openly discuss conscious shows of support for the military, then I wanna know why not.

Slit our wrists if we don't find positivity in yet more army fawning? Especially when the price of such worship is in dispute?

Behave!

Fawning???

I'll never understand your mindset to use a word like that about a situation like this.

 

[Elong]

WHO WON THE BLOODY WAR ANYWAY

 

[dholliday]

Fawning???

I'll never understand your mindset to use a word like that about a situation like this.

I use that word because the emotive language used to describe this event leaves no room for discussing the wider meaning.

Fawning in my book.

old man who served his country

Fact is service people stick together and hundreds of them gave up their time to honour a man they didn't even know

I always pay my respects to them

almost all where there to pay respect to a man willing to do what he had to do for us to be the country we are today. This is the first time I've seen this and I was almost moved to tears.

the vast majority would have done so because it was the right thing to do

A Hero's send off FOR a Hero

I think it being treated as anything other than a positive thing is a sad reflection on our bile filled psyche

Seriously just slit your wrists now if that's all you think life is because there's no point going on if you can't even find an ounce of positivity in this story.

 

[dholliday]

WHO WON THE BLOODY WAR ANYWAY

ooooh, i've never heard that one before...seems to always come when there's no coherent argument.

 

[Elong]

ooooh, i've never heard that one before...seems to always come when there's no coherent argument.

Was a way to try and cool the tension and point scoring over a war veteran's death.

You've heard it before? Good, your country should never forget.

 

[dholliday]

Was a way to try and cool the tension and point scoring over a war veteran's death.

A war veteran wouldn't make such a crass joke. The John Cleese clip you pasted mocks the English anyway, not the Germans.

And define point-scoring if you're still around.

You've heard it before? Good, your country should never forget.

You know nothing of how Germany has been handling the memories of war.

Whereas how many English schoolkids grow up never realising it was the Soviets who invaded Berlin and won the war?

Those who fought in it, don't care for who 'won' it. They only care that it never happen again. This very personal point of view of the lonesome soldier is lost amid the fawning public drive to support the next military action, based on this invented concept of hero worship. The price of which is measured only in bodycount.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

ooooh, i've never heard that one before...seems to always come when there's no coherent argument.

You lost any semblance of relevance at the point you chose to label people paying their respects as 'fawning' of the military

Do one

 

[EFC Si]

Incredibly moving story this. Let's not forget, World War 2 was a war that saved our country; the outcome of which lets us all live the free lives we do today.

Anyone who either gave or risked their life in this war deserves to be honoured and remembered, regardless of whether you knew them personally or not.

The fact that we don't live under a Nazi regime is because of people like this man. This and this alone is why people wanted to attend his funeral.

And who knows, if there had been an advertisement in the paper stating there's a 99 year old WW2 veteran living in an old people's home, then I would imagine a lot of people would have donated in one way or another to improve his quality of life, if that was at all necessary.

 

[Groucho]

Where's the need for the aggro here?

He fought for our rights and freedom - no need to have a barney.

 

[PhilEFC]

Who are you even replying to?

If we're not free in the Ale House to openly discuss conscious shows of support for the military, then I wanna know why not.

Slit our wrists if we don't find positivity in yet more army fawning? Especially when the price of such worship is in dispute?

Behave!

Worshipping and fawning? Nothing wrong with showing support, respect and appreciating people who have stepped up to protect your way of life.

 

[Gwladys St. Glory]

Another thread goes down the sh*tter...

 

[dholliday]

You lost any semblance of relevance at the point you chose to label people paying their respects as 'fawning' of the military

My take on this is a bit more nuanced than just the fawning part. But yes, where some pay their respects, others fawn. The former I absolutely agree with and support. The latter is potentially damaging if enough people get sucked into it, as it prohibits questioning things.

For example: will the legless soldier who served in Afghan and broke this story expect a hero's funeral when he passes? Will his family expect it? Will the public? If so, what message does this send out to those wondering about what he was fighting for? Is that message powerful enough to support a further military action in the near future?

It will be, if it turns out the public are in a generation's time saying stuff like this about him (amended with apologies to Si to reflect the war on terror):

Incredibly moving story this. Let's not forget, the war on terror was a war that saved our country; the outcome of which lets us all live the free lives we do today.

Anyone who either gave or risked their life in this war deserves to be honoured and remembered, regardless of whether you knew them personally or not.

The fact that we don't live under a Taliban regime is because of people like this man. This and this alone is why people wanted to attend his funeral.

This isn't sensationalism. We already know the NSA and GCHQ are prepping language just like this.

Read up on the history and method of military and state propaganda, you'll be surprised how many unwitting participants there are.

 

[Groucho]

So sad, a thread about a genuine hero, derailed.

I thought we were better than this.