But leaving aside your "romantic" vision of the war-dead and the need to glorify Man's tasks to find some justification, also avoiding, for now, playing terminology games with their use of the word "terrorist" ...
There is no need to "glorify Man's tasks to find justification"
..., because justification is
NOT required when serving your country, no matter what. And you don't do it for any recognition and nor do you want recognition if you pay the ultimate price.
Let's say that country A invaded country B and managed to unsurp and occupy a large percentage of its sovereign territory. What justification does country B require to defend itself or even resume hostilities to liberate the occupied areas? We all know that Cyprus has lost a
battle by allowing Turkey to occupy 37% of our territory. As the losers of this battle, our government is trying to
negotiate a settlement with Turkey which is in an enviable negotiating position which could see our President succumbing to demands for Turkish Intervention rights, a 50:50 power share, no control over our EEZ or Airspace, and residency rights for illegal settlers. This is not just losing the battle, but is the
ultimate defeat. The other option is to let the 35 year war continue until the
balance is addressed either
politically or
militarily. And justification is not required should Cyprus arm itself and
escalate things should conditions allow it.
You know very well the
emphasis and importance I place on our heroes, such as Avxentiou, Pallikaridi et al. The fallen 371 British soldiers should also have their remembrance place in Cyprus alongside our own heroes and martyrs.
This is the wrong time, and in the wrong place and probably for the wrong reasons, to seek funding for such a "Memorial"
I agree.
There are obviously other
sinister motives behind it.
But we could see it coming and we could have done something about it, but now the
damage has been done and we are to
blame for this!
I have no doubt factors in the occupied north are behind such blatant encouragement, and as such I feel any "young soldiers who died for their country" are being sabotaged (more so than usual).
I totally agree with this.
The fallen Brits have been sabotaged by a small group of ultra conservative
"Friends of Turkey" that are hell bent on upgrading the "trnc's" status towards
recognition. I seriously doubt that any of the 371 fallen Brits or their families would want to be party to this. These young soldiers that were killed have been
hijacked and sabotaged.
As I said, we should have provided their families with their own memorial in the RoC. Not only would this have
quashed any lingering British resentment for the 55-59 campaign but it would have also been beneficial in overcoming any remaining
resentment from both sides. The "Friends of Turkey" would have also been
denied their opportunity of
vengeance against the RoC as their voice would have been
silenced.
It is time we became
more proactive and
less reactionary because our politics have done us absolutely no good over the last 49 years.
This isn't about a Memorial to those young soldiers. This is about some Brits and Turks, once again, taking advantage of Cyprus' weakened state, i.e. faced with an ongoing Turkish occupation, and going against the will and desire of the RoC, to erect this memorial in Kyrenia where our government does not have effective control.
The above is quite true.
What I am trying to get you to realise is that we could have
prevented all this from happening. We certainly had
plenty of warning that this memorial was going to be erected as their website was up for years. We could have easily
snuffed them out all together, by
stealing their thunder and building a British memorial as a gesture of
goodwill to Britain.
All we needed to do was erect a memorial for them in the RoC. The 371 fallen Brits ar the real victims here. Their name and honor has been hijacked by a bunch of British "Friends of Turkey" to upgrade the "trnc".
If I should die, think only this of me:
That there's some corner of a foreign field
That is forever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam;
A body of England's, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.
And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven. [/b][/color]
The above poem is very good. Real proof that soldiers only serve their country as a selfless act and require no recognition or memorials.
I like this one from Pericles over 2000 years ago:
Each has won a glorious grave - not that sepulchre of earth wherein they lie, but the living tomb of everlasting remembrance wherein their glory is enshrined. For the whole earth is the sepulchre of heroes. Monuments may rise and tablets be set up to them in their own land, but on far-off shores there is an abiding memorial that no pen or chisel has traced; it is graven not on stone or brass, but on the living hearts of humanity.
Take these men for your example. Like them, remember that prosperity can be only for the free, that freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it. 
