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Coalition partners hold joint Remembrance and Veterans Day ceremony at Al Udeid

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Patrick Evenson
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

AL UDEID AIR BASE, Qatar— Silence descended on the ranks of coalition forces at Al Udeid Air Base in the sandy landscape of Qatar on Saturday. The sky was empty of clouds, the air stood still and beads of sweat glistened on the foreheads of those in attendance. If a sound was heard, it would be that of the heartbeat of the men and women reflecting on the service and sacrifice of those who came before them.

United States service members and coalition forces gathered at the base of coalition flag poles to pay respect to the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines of past generations during a joint coalition Remembrance and Veterans Day ceremony.

“It is not by mere chance that we are gathered together as representatives of our nations, together in a noble cause in Qatar at a memorial,” Brig. Gen. Jason Armagost, commander of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, said in an address to the troops. “Today in a joint Remembrance and Veterans Day as each of our countries do every year, we take a quiet moment to embrace the dutiful heroes of all our wars... those who have served, those who have fought, those still missing, those who gave their lives.”

United States service members observe Veterans Day on Nov. 11 of each year, which is a day to show appreciation of those military veterans who have served in all wars.

However, Nov. 11 wasn’t a randomly picked date. Prior to 1954, the day was known as Armistice Day, in remembrance of the cease of hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in the first World War.

“The Great War” didn’t officially end until the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919; but that didn’t stop the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, from holding a special place in the minds and hearts of those affected by the brutal four years of bloodshed. The bloodshed had ended.

For most of those Allied nations, Nov. 11 still acknowledges the truce that happened 100 years ago next year. Coalition partners including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France and Canada, who were in attendance, reflect upon this day as Remembrance Day.

Today in the desert of Qatar, yet another conflict demands the attention of those nations. As coalition partners, they stand together again in support of Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. The day is indeed to honor the past, but also a great reminder that everything we’ve accomplished together.

“When you think about all the other wars, we haven’t done it independently. It’s always been a team effort. So, to be here, in this environment with so many coalition partners, it provides nothing but value,” Chief Master Sgt. Jerry Williams, Command Chief of the 379th AEW said.

That united spirit was fitting for a ceremony that was a combination of the respective countries’ traditions.

Each nation presented a wreath at the base of the memorial flag poles, as is the custom each year at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Accompanying a minute of silence, a U.S. Navy Corpsman rang a bell, as is the tradition in the U.K. to signify the end of World War I. When armistice was declared in 1918, church bells rang out across the country for the first time in four years.

Rows of coalition forces wore poppy lapel pins on their uniform as a symbol of enduring hope. It gained its meaning from a poem by Canadian soldier and physician Lt. John Alexander McCrae in 1915.

         In Flanders fields the poppies blow
         Between the crosses, row on row,
         That mark our place; and in the sky
         The larks, still bravely singing, fly
         Scarce heard amid the guns below.

“There are beautiful parts of western Europe… the landscapes were completely destroyed by the war. Despite all of that the poppies were able to grow and they endured,” Air Commodore Roddy Dennis, commander of the Royal Air Forces’ 81 Expeditionary Air Group, explained.

Poppies grew in the battlefields of Europe. Even after the destruction, out of the ashes, the poppies still grew. And out of the ashes of armed conflict, our nations have grown. Hope came out of the worst moments of history.

“It’s makes you stop and think less about yourself and more about the organization and more about the values the organization represents,” Dennis said.