Rock 'n' Roll, Rifles and Remembrance Day

I began writing this post at 11am (Kenyan time) on the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1918, these three 11’s marked the end of the first World War hostilities; Remembrance Day (for we from Commonwealth nations) or Armistice Day or Veterans Day (for Americans). Today’s blog post is in honour of all those brave men and women who served or are serving in the Armed Forces.

Did you know that:

1. Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Maynard James Keenan (Tool), Ray Manzarek (The Doors) and other famous rock stars served in the Armed Forces? Read more about it here

2. The World War Memorial Statue on Kenyatta Avenue (formerly known as Delamere Avenue) in Nairobi was erected in 1924 “ to the memory of the native troops who fought: To carriers who were the feet and hands of the army: And to all other men who served and died for their King and Country in Eastern Africa in the Great War, 1914-1918”?


3. Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) took part in the “Music Heals” concert? The concert’s aim was to create awareness about MusiCorps, a program that uses the healing power of music to help wounded war veterans with their rehabilitation.

4. In 1984, a Kamba veteran of both World War 1 and World War 2, Mzee Kitiku wa Mukuu, claimed that he was one of the three African soldiers depicted in the War Memorial monument, specifically, the barefooted gun bearer with a walking stick. He was known by his Kamba nom de guerre Mukua Ivuti (Gun Bearer) and according to WONI.WITU: “It is most likely that he was an aide to a European officer. He gained fame when he eliminated a notorious German sniper during the battle of Mbuyuni in the present Taita-Taveta in 1916.” He goes on to write that: “For the Akamba, the war was pointless as they were unaware of European quarrels and they wanted no part in it. However, the colonial government forced many young men to join the non-combatant section of the military known as the Carrier Corps.”

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=6181
5. “Afraid to Shoot Strangers” by Iron Maiden “ is a political track based on war and how governments and generals are using soldiers as pawns when they don't really want to kill anyone. Written around the time of the first Gulf War” (From Songfacts.com)

Below is the short film of the same name, submitted to ROFFEKE by Luis Camacho Campoy



6. “While Kings George VI and his father King George V before him seem to have rewarded the British soldiers who fought the wars for the crown with large chunks of protectorate land, very few of the so-called ‘native troops’ and ‘our glorious dead’ were ever rewarded for their contribution in the victory of the allied forces in the wars. They actually came back home and were still treated as third-class citizens.” (From enchantedlandscapes.com)