Person of the Decade
Now that we’re moving into a new decade (it doesn’t seem that long ago that I was celebrating the Millenium and waiting for all the world’s computers to malfunction, as everybody was telling us, and the fireworks can begin, even though I have to go to work tomorrow, I thought I’d write this post that I have been planning for a few weeks now.
There is one person for me who stands out, still does, even though he died this year, is Harry Patch. I remember watching a program called “The Last Tommy” about the soldiers of World War I who were still living. It seemed to make an impression on me. Probably as a result, I’m a bit more clued up on what happened in both World Wars, and also enjoying programs like “Band of Brothers” (I know, a work of fiction, but based solidly on fact), but from a different perspective. These people and the serving soldiers today did something that I could never do, I wouldn’t be that brave, and that is to fight for their country. Admittedly, the Afghan conflict isn’t a worldwide one.
Every time I saw him on television since then, I was interested in what he was saying, which from reading up (and not just on the ubiquitous Wikipedia), that war is bad, especially the war he took part in.
I know it’s a bit of an odd choice, and an odd post to end 2009 on, but there you go.
I think it’s a perfect post and more relevant than ever before. “Person” of the decade isn’t a celebrity who did nothing but earn lots of dosh, or an overpaid sports person, etc. “People” of the decade is what we want. The soldiers fighting out in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as other places around the world for the UN. And there are many ordinary people who do little things every day that mean a lot too – run a marathon for charity, nurse a sick child to health and so much more. No one can deny that Harry Patch was exceptional – he will definitely be remembered and with him all the other exceptional people who are still with us, and who are not still with us.