[LightBulb]

I took a class on the history of the "Great War" (World War I), and it was indescribably devastating. I think people often forget its importance because people see it as overshadowed by World War II. They are both important to remember.

Europe memorialized the war very fittingly. For example, France put the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and its Eternal Flame at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe. Additionally, Britain built the Cenotaph, a giant tombstone without scriptures or other adornments. It was left this way so that every person could visit it and remember their loved veterans and imagine whatever they wanted written on it (and also because nothing seemed a fitting thing to say after the destruction). The British also wear red poppies every year in remembrance, as poppies are the first flowers to bloom in the fields each year, a sign of renewal of life from the fields where the trenches were.

Thank you to all the veterans out there!