Remembrance Day (UK) and Veterans Day (USA) A personal story of remembrance and thanks.

Shortly before 11 AM, whilst strolling about Brixham in Devon, UK, on November 11th 1999 with Pat, Stow & Abby,

Brixham, Devon, UK, 1999

church bells began to toll and shops and offices emptied as people began to gather at various points around the city and at exactly 11AM on the 11th day of the 11th month, the entire town fell silent. We stood among them in silence, men, women and children, keenly aware of the solemnity of the moment. No cars moved, no boats in the harbor moved, no sounds at all, but for that of our breathing. Most eyes were moist with tears as they remembered those lost in war. The observance lasted, perhaps, 15 minutes with prayers and a hymn after the silence. It was a very moving experience for us.

Today, 11 years later on 11/11 at 11 am, I observe a few moments of silence in honor of Veterans Day (USA) and Remembrance Day (UK) to serve as a reminder that our freedom is not free. In particular I remember my father William James Dunham,
who served in the Atlantic and my stepfather Chester Otis Kingsbury who served in the Pacific, both of whom survived the war.

God bless those that gave their lives, so that we may live in freedom and those that are serving today around the world, so we may continue to enjoy the precious gift of freedom.