Lest we forget

The Australian War Memorial is a thorough and fitting tribute to the Australian armed forces.  There are so many elements to this museum it is difficult to find a place to begin.  The sign outside says that one can take an hour or all day.  To fully appreciate this museum, it would easily take two days.  We were there for about 3 hours and did not scratch the surface.

While they are not MY countrymen, these brave "Diggers" as they are called, sailors and airmen are still responsible for the freedoms I enjoy, as an American as well as a resident of Australia.  As one of our strongest allies, the Australian story is intertwined with ours for better or worse.  I even recently discovered that during the Civil War, Australian soldiers fought on both sides of the conflict.

Every evening as they prepare to close for the day, the Australian War Memorial holds a ceremony in which one biography of a fallen soldier/sailor/airman is read and remembered, people are invited to lay wreaths in honor of the fallen, a bag piper plays a requiem and a bugler plays "Last Post" which is their equivalent of our "Taps".  Moving and respectful, I think it is beautiful that they remember their fallen in such a personal way on a daily basis.