I was able to celebrate a pretty special day in New Zealand while I was in Whangarei. The day commemorates the New Zealand and Australians who have died in the military. This was expanded as the original purpose was to memorialize the men who died during the invasion of Gallipoli during World War I. This was a battle in which New Zealand lost a large amount of men, especially considering how small a country that they were. They hold dawn services at almost every town and village. There were huge crowds of people that attended.
I can honestly say that other than going for a school thing I don't think I have gone to any services for soldiers in the States. I found it really impressive the way that the whole country takes a day and everyone participates. The radio all day was patriotic music, people calling in to share stories about the family members they remember going off to the War. They even have special ANZAC Biscuits (cookies) that are made for the day.
I liked how military members as well as law enforcement and the families of those serving were allowed to participate. The patriotic connection to the military in New Zealand seemed much stronger and much more common than I feel it is in the US. I really felt honored to be a part of their day and hope that I can be better at participating when I get back to the States as well.
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