[Margaret Pilkington]

yes, you are right when you cite the media for bearing a lot of the blame...but that is not the whole story is it?

Whatever the reasons were that young men joined up(and what you are citing is anecdotal, while it may apply to some..equally, it may not have been what many young men felt)....really now it is immaterial. They cannot tell us why they did what they did....and it would not change anything about the need to recognise and salute their sacrifice.

They may have joined up because their friends were doing that, what we cannot get away from is they made the ultimate sacrifice regardless of the motives.

The poppy is not a political symbol unless WE make it one....that is where the danger lies.

It is OUR motives which should be questioned....Why are we making it a political thing when it is not about politics, but about RESPECT and REMEMBRANCE of those who lost their young lives and their futures, their potential to make their mark on their communities???

I will continue to wear a poppy each November....as a mark of respect for the fallen in all conflicts.