Remembrance and Recognition

Veteran’s Day was initially established as a public holiday back in 1938 to honor the veterans of World War I (I know this because Navy Mutual sent me an email this morning saying so). You likely know that the day has since been modified to recognize all veterans for their service and sacrifice to our country. It’s a great excuse for a day off- even though I know somewhere sailors are grumbling about standing morning watch on a holiday while his or her buddies are happily sleeping in.

So at home it’s Veteran’s Day. In Europe it’s referred to as Armistice Day or even Remembrance Day. Here in Senegal, it’s Thursday- and that might make you think that the great wars do not factor into the consciousness of West Africans, but you’d be wrong.

I kind of managed to never take a U.S. history course after the 8th grade (although my completely falsified junior year report card will tell you differently). Because of this travesty, I missed out on learning about a number of significant events- including the World Wars. This is my excuse for not knowing about the tirailleurs (literally skirmishers, or better yet rifleman) of Africa.

There is a reason to celebrate Veteran’s Day in Senegal 

African colonizers drew heavily from the indigenous populations to serve as light infantry reinforcements in a number of military campaigns right up until the 1960s. In one instance, 60,000 troops signed up voluntarily after the encouragement of one of Senegal’s most noted politicians, Blaise Diagne. In World War I more than 200,000 tirailleurs fought in Gallipoli and other battles for France-  30,000 died for a cause far from their homes. As a frame of reference, 5,805 American troops have died in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns as of right now, and 58,000 were killed in Vietnam.

  This scene always comes to mind when I read about the tirailleurs
I know that I have a number of readers with military service, or indeed they know someone who has served. It’s an honor to dedicate oneself to a higher purpose, and I count myself among the fortunate for having the opportunity to do so. In this entry, however, I just wanted to draw your attention to some less-heralded veterans who gave so much for so little. It has certainly been my experience that Africans routinely accomplish great things without thinking it necessary to seek recognition.
 Me and my family of veterans (yes, that’s my twin sister to the far left)
 We’re an all volunteer military, and those people come from everywhere and all generations. That’s the beauty of our line of work.

I am proud to be involved in such a fine service, and have profound respect for those that serve alongside me.