Old Soldiers Never Die, They Just Fade Away

And now every April I sit on my porch
And I watch the parade pass before me
And I watch my old comrades, how proudly they march
Reliving old dreams of past glory
And the old men march slowly, all bent, stiff and sore
The forgotten heroes from a forgotten war
And the young people ask, “What are they marching for?”
And I ask myself the same question
And the band plays Waltzing Matilda
And the old men answer to the call
But year after year their numbers get fewer
Some day no one will march there at all

– “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, by Eric Bogle

Over the past weekend, the next-to-last surviving French veteran of World War One, a man named Louis de Cazenave, passed away at the very advanced age of 110.

Yesterday it was announced that the last surviving German veteran of World War One, Erich Kaestner, passed away on New Year’s Day, aged 107.

Only about 20 more, one of whom is the only surviving female veteran, remain. Within the next couple of years, the War To End All Wars will have slipped from living human memory completely. War, unfortunately, will remain all too fresh in the minds of millions for the foreseeable future.