Farewell, Harry Patch

Farewell, Mr. Patch (6/17/1898-7/25/209), last known surviving veteran of the Great War of 1914-1918, now passed on into the blue yonder. He was 111 years old, having survived Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres), where he was wounded. This 1917 battle alone dwarfs several ongoing wars in gigantic scale, resulting in more than 500,000 Allied (British and French empire) and 350,000 German casualties. Harry Patch could only begin speaking of his experiences when he turned 100. In this clip, he says "War is a -- calculated -- and -- condoned -- slaughter of human beings."

I can tell you this: just seeing the World War One battlefields and cemeteries changed my life. One can hardly imagine having actually lived through the Great War. But with the death of Harry Patch, imagine is what we must do from here on out.




Today's Rune: Signals.