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2 Sundays, 2 parades, 2 much~

Last Sunday, I took part in a parade for the remembrance of the 3 battles of Ypres, in Belgium, WWI (1914, 1915, and 1917) People along the route through a suburb of this fair metropolis clapped for the vets and for the Pipes and Drums with us.

Today was the annual Church Parade for the whole Royal Highlanders of Canada (AKA the Black Watch), a march of about a mile from the armoury to the church and another one back.

I commented to one of my fellow vets, while enjoying the customary wobbly pop (BEER DAMMIT) in the mess after the "do" that the people watching us screw up traffic on one of the city's major thoroughfares in the heart of dowmtown took pics of the Pipes and Drums, waved to the current batch of regular soldiers, all but ignored the Cadet Corps (if there is more than one are they Cadet Corpses?) but genuinely applauded and shouted thanks to us old farts.

We who have seen death, either in a hot (combat) or cold war (don't kid yourselves, many soldiers died during the Cold War, almost all due to some senior officer's incompetance) appreciate the thanks, but in the group of regular (active) soldiers are also vets of Afghan conflicts. Darfur, Somali conflicts. Just because Buddy isn't old and rickety, doesn't mean he doesn't deserve applause and thanks as well.