Kevin,
Good on yer for remembering the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month, 1918! Americans rarely think about WWI because they got in so late–no heavy ground commitment until September 1918. For example, Canada & Australia lost roughly 60,000 dead each with populations of 7.8 and 4.9 million respectively, and at least 4 times that number wounded. The U.S. lost 50,000 combat deaths with a population of 103 million, so you get an idea of the disproportionate impact the war had on the Commonwealth, as well as Europe.
To put a cap on Europe’s (and the world’s) misery, the great flu pandemic of 1918-1919–the last global pandemic to date–was spiking in Nov 1918 as the war was ending. The U.S lost 70,000 troops to flu and 500,000-675,000 civilians (Canada & Australia lost 50,000 & 12,000 civilians respectively). World wide, the influenza pandemic killed 20-40 million people.
I don’t mean to detract from the sacrifice and memory of veterans, only to to put 11/11/11 in historical perspective. We should especially remember the latest group of young veterans from the wars of the last decade. Even those not killed or disabled have had their lives interrupted and many suffer from PTSD or lifetime brain concussion problems. I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I am guilty myself sometimes of forgetting the sacrifice of our veterans. Thanks to Kevin for reminding us, and I hope to see many of you at Millennium Con this weekend!

Cheers!

Nathan
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