Padre's Corner - “Lest We Forget”: Remembering with Respect and Honour
November 24, 2020 - Capt Min Kim, Padre, 1 Service Battalion
In 1897 Rudyard Kipling (d. 1936) composed a poem entitled “Recessional,” where he reminds readers not to forget what is not to be obliterated. In the poem, he underscores the phrase “lest we forget”:
God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
Caption
Photo by LS Erica Seymour, 4 Wing Imaging
The phrase is then adopted to capture the significance of remembering the soldiers fallen in war, and it has become widely known for the occasion of Remembrance Day, also called “Armistice Day” until 1930, particularly in the Commonwealth countries and states. Equally outstanding in this respect is the poem entitled “For The Fallen” by Laurence Binyon (d. 1943), the fourth stanza of which is known to us as the “Act of Remembrance,” where it chants:
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Always do we remember the sacrifices the soldiers made in the line of duty, but at this time of year we do so deliberately and consciously across the country and the globe, not merely individually but also corporately.
A slight change on our act of remembrance this year seems obvious due to COVID 19 – the main player in changing our life to a “new normal.” Watching the commemoration ceremonies online, for instance, as well as in small gatherings in accordance with the provincial guidelines, is more likely expected instead of large public gatherings at cenotaphs as usual.
No matter how and where we participate in remembering the soldiers, one of the salient purposes and permanent reasons of our remembrance is “lest we forget.” Forgetting the past is by default part of an acceptable phenomenon to us, but there are certain things we retain in our memories and knowledge, such as significant moments and events, as well as honourable people and their acts in history.
Ironic it may then sound that the sacrifices of the fallen soldiers are honourable, yet we purposefully act to remember them so as not to forget them. In a true sense, however, it is more than a gesture; it is our dedication with respect to honouring their selfless services. We respect their determination to serve the country. We honour their courage, even death in line of duty.
Reflecting the values of our community as a whole, we remember them with respect and honour. For those of the past, present and future, we will remember them for their dedication. We will remember them for their courage. We will remember them for the sacrifice of their lives for ours.
We will remember them.
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