ANZAC Day

April 25 is a public holiday, celebrating ANZAC (Australia New Zealand Army Corps) Day, a day similar to our Memorial Day. ANZAC day celebrates the ANZAC spirit, which was created in the battle at Gallipoli against the Turkish Army, that commenced at dawn on April 25, 1915.

On Tuesday night I went to the video storre and asked for the quintessential ANZAC Day movie, and was handed 'Gallipoli', starring Mel Gibson, made in 1981. I haven't seen any of the Mad Max movies, so watching Mel Gibosn with an Aussie accent was something. And he was so young! And didn't seem to have to potential to make 'Passion of the Christ' or engage in drunken rampages. Interesting to watch him knowing him as the person he is now. But, in 1981, he was young, baby-faced, and not at all hapy to be at ANZAC COve, about to be slaughtered by the Turks. And I can't say that I blame him. He tries valiantly to save his best amte, but the final scene of the movie shows that he couldn't - sometimes it seems that war is bigger than the individuals actually engaging the enemy and dying.

On ANZAC Day there is a dawn service held at most war memorials. Since I'm in the national capital, I figured I couldn't miss the Nation's Dawn Service, even if it involved my waking up at 4:30 on a public holiday. I had flashbacks to the early mornings in San Diego - although I do have to admit, there is something almost magical, or at least sublime, in the quiet and the early light at that hour, and the cold seems to add to it. Anyway, I joined 28,000 other Canberrans (Every time i"m in a crowd in Canberra I wonder where ALL these people came from - how can there be that many people in Canberra?) in front of the War Memorial and listened to the Dawn Service, whicih started promptly at 5am. There were hymns and readings and then the Last Post was played, on a bugle that was actually at Gallipoli in 1915. Then the anthem was played.

Now, being an American, I'm not surprised that I wasn't moved by the ceremony. I could apreciate the solemnity of the moment and the gesture, but it was empty to me. Maybe thats not the right description, but I didn't grow up with the 'myth' f the ANZAC. I know ANZAC as a tye of cookie (I mean biscuit), which is something close to an oatmeal cookie that the ANZACs ate while fighting. But, I am militarily minded and always appreciate servicemen. (no comments form the peanut gallery on that one, thank you.) At home, every memorial service makes me think of my dad and Doug and a few others. This one didn't.

It's Australia - a country so isolated from everyone else... even from parts of itself! Who's going to invade here? Aparently though, the Japanese were very close to invading in the first World War, so the military did do something. But it rings hollow now, especially watching the news coverage of parades later on ANZAC Day - people in Melbourne saying that ANZAC Day represents the protection of their freedom to them. Huh? It just doesn't sound right to me. That's what Americans say. And it used to mean something. In previous wars.

Another thing I've noticed here is the lack of military experience in the general population. Since Dad and Doug are in the military, I guess I have a skewed view, but I feel like Vietnam really defined my dad's era, and of most of my friends, Vietnam defines a large part of their fathers. I've never done a formal poll - maybe I'm wrong... but here, I haven't met anyone who's father or who (depending on their age) was in Vietnam. That's just sucah a different cultural context. One you can't really put your finger on and for me at least, affects the meaning behind something like ANZAC Day.

After the Dawn Service, I went through the memorial itself with everyone else and am looking forward to going bak to explore it more. It's an impressive memorial, wth poppies all over (for rememberance), but it's primarily WWI and WWII. Maybe that's the difference? WWI and WWII are not the only thing the American military has done (and I certainly don't mean to slight the ANZAC troops - I don't know all that they are involved in, and it does appear that they have been and are involved in a lot of the same things the US is, especially lately thanks to Howard being in Bush's back pocket). Maybe I just can't verbalize what it is that I'm seeing/feeling as the difference.

In any event, I feel like I appropriately observed ANZAC Day, had a few ANZAC biscuits and watched the appropriate movie. But that's all the day was to me. And maybe that's my point - I think it's OK that that's all that day is to me. I am an American after all.