For three years, the national Warriors Day was a muted affair due to the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-21) and the severe haze that hit the country the year before.
Yesterday's celebration at Dataran Pahlawan, however, was befitting the occasion to commemorate the warriors who had fought and died for our country. Graced by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, the ceremony was steeped in tradition, complete with the trooping of colour, a 21-gun salute, sounding of the Last Post, the lowering of the Jalur Gemilang and a pantomime about the sacrifice of national fighters in a battle that took place in Bakara Market, Mogadishu, Somalia, on Oct 3 and 4, 1993.
Truly, our warriors deserve such commendation. The freedom and liberties we enjoy today are because of them. Risking their lives is a selfless act of valour that can never be repaid. And so it has been said that freedom does not come without a price.
In a post on Facebook, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Warriors Day celebration was an opportune time "to remember the services of all security forces, whether military or police, before and after our country's independence". Indeed, their role should not only be appreciated during wars but also peaceful times.
Historically, July 31 is observed annually to mark the end of the Emergency in 1960. It was originally known as the Poppy Day or Remembrance Day among Commonwealth countries after the end of World War 1 to remember those who died in military service.
In the United States, it is Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, "when the weather is turning warmer and schools and universities are adjourning for summer break".
One may ask, what is the significance of Warriors Day, why is it important? Simple, it's to instil the patriotic spirit in us, inculcate national values such as "love thy country", and to appreciate our multicultural identity. It's also to reflect on the country's history and the foundation it was built upon to better value our present.
For many of us, particularly those born during peaceful times, wars, plague, famine and such seem far removed from our daily lives. Much of what we know is through the television, history books or journalists' account of devastation and despair in various parts of the world.
But there are two recent events that we have experienced — the 2013 Lahad Datu incursion and the Covid-19 pandemic. True, the number of lives lost in the military standoff cannot be compared with the toll in wars, but they perished protecting our country's sovereignty. As for the Covid-19 "warriors" — doctors, nurses, humanitarian workers and ordinary civilians — they, too, should be honoured, and remembered, for they died serving the nation.
Perhaps, in future, the Warriors Day celebration could be extended to include them? Remember and honour them we must, lest their sacrifice be in vain. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" — former United Kingdom prime minister Winston Churchill.
