One Pharmacist’s View
Armistice Day in Allen
Allen veterans were honored Monday with an early lunch in the High Tech Center of Allen High School as guests of the local FCCLA. A school-wide assembly followed in the main auditorium which was also open to the public. Student Conner Wilson did a good job singing the national anthem and the FFAofficers presented the colors. A tribute video was presented featuring local veterans which also included those locals presently on active duty. Guest speaker Jeff Rogers addressed the veterans. Thanks Jeff. We really appreciated the entire program which was done in a very professional way by the Student Council.
Armistice Day has gradually “morphed” into Veterans Day in our country. A day we honor all veterans of all wars. But it wasn’t always this way. There was another war a long time ago — It was called “The Great War.” “The war to end all wars. They call it “WWI”. This great conflict ended on November 11, 1919 with an Armistice. The war to end all wars ending wasn’t exactly a victory for anyone. Millions of young men had died in despicable trenches. These were long ditches that were dug making the lines where the soldiers did most of their fighting, living and dying. For nothing?
Heavy causalities from the day in and day out bombing, artillery and sniper fire and the introduction of tanks sent the causality numbers soaring into the thousands, then hundreds of thousands and finally millions. The orders of “Over The Top” meant the rank and file soldiers were sent up and over the trenches to charge across something called “No Man’s Land” to try and push back the enemy. But the times were changing. One thing was the machine gun. The Germans had refined this weapon into a rapid firing, water cooled killing machine. Rushing thousands of soldiers across the battlefields and betting on many of them getting to the other side and winning came to an end. The German’s could line up several machine gun nests and mow down men by the thousands. And they did.
The British army had thousands of soldiers in the battle of the Somme among the three million Allied soldiers involved, who were all from the same towns and occupations. Many of these units were wiped out. Completely. Before the battle of the Somme was over (and it was quick) about one million casualties were recorded. Back home in England the news hit these areas hard. Regular radio programming was suspended and only funeral dirges were heard in England. The nation fell into a state of mourning. The generals that started these attacks were perceived as being uncaring and heartless and they suffered severe political consequences. Finally. Trench warfare went out of business.
America suffered profound losses too. Otto Strickland told me that interest in the war grew into such an extent that people would crowd up in downtown Allen to hear the newspapers that carried the casualty list (complete with names and hometowns) read aloud from the bed of a truck by someone with a strong voice. Anxiety and fear permeated the crowd as the voice continued reading out the names of the wounded and dead. The military would notify families later, when they got around to it.
People weren’t happy about the seeming indifference according to Mr. Strickland who was both a state representative and a local pharmacist. This “informed consent” type of relationship between the military and the people has been healthy for America and its Generals. Now we feel the leaders are held more responsible for what they do with our sons and daughters who defend our great nation.
I hope all of you have a good weekend and can say a prayer for our nation in these troubled times. Be sure and go to church Sunday.
Wayne Bullard, DPh