Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day is observed every year on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month to commemorate the signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany to end the First World War. While we honor the sacrifice our veterans have made for us and our country, we thought we would address some of the more overlooked challenges these people faced.

While most of us have been fortunate to have never had experienced the misfortune of living through a world war. We are aware of the fear and devastation brought on by gunfire and bombings among other forms of attack. But what about the fear of terminal dehydration? A human can last about 3 days without water. Even if water is available, inadequate sanitation can lead to deadly diarrheal diseases, including cholera and typhoid fever, and other water-borne illnesses. While in the trenches soldiers would be forced to boil muddy water to survive. Due to the unhygienic conditions these people were forced to live in, they suffered through lice, skin problems and other effects due to a lack of hygiene. The idea of a bath was a luxury most did not have.

Latrines, the general term used to describe different types of toilets, varied greatly in quality. While some made do with simple dug pits, others had more sophisticated bucket latrines, which were emptied and disinfected regularly. Latrines were carefully positioned away from both the fighting and the living quarters to prevent waste-contamination and the illness that inevitably followed. Indiscriminate urination was strictly forbidden to avoid sickness, but in desperate times, this was difficult to avoid.

This Remembrance Day we will be taking a moment to be thankful for all the brave soldiers who risked and gave their lives so we could have a better one and express gratitude for the safe drinking water, the delight of a warm shower, clean clothing, and appreciate all the amenities of modern life.