World War II veteran’s message to Australians this ANZAC Day
Channel: NSM Facts
Date: 2020-04-25

World War II veteran’s message to Australians this ANZAC Day

95-year-old veteran Jim Kerr is asking Australians to remember the sacrifices that have been made by brave servicemen and women for our freedoms.

Jim Kerr was just 15-years-old when he enlisted to fight in the Second World War and about 17-years-old when he was taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese.

He says although he feels no hate for his captors he will never forget what he endured.

“I’ll never forgive them for the unnecessary suffering and the unnecessary deaths that were caused by their brutality and lack of food and medical attention.

“As long as I’m alive I’ll never forget what they did.”

He asks all Australians to take a moment to properly mark ANZAC Day this year.

Love and war: veterans cling on to Anzac courage

“Simply take a moment to remember, especially this year when there are no public services or marches… please take an extra minute as a nation and think about what people went through to have what you have today. We have something that a lot of people in the world crave for and that is freedom

This is a war story that turns into a love story.

This is the story of 94-year-old Barry Maley, a retired academic who fought in the Pacific during World War II, and who, like hundreds of thousands of other Australian war veterans, will this year mark Anzac Day at home, with no fanfare.

Australia has been publicly commemorating Anzac Day since 1916, but this year it will be done the way we do everything in the age of the COVID-19 virus – with physical separation
The dawn service at the Australian War Memorial will be closed to the public. Many will participate in the "light up the dawn" initiative and stand in front of their houses with candles for its broadcast, in a sort of separated communion