IT'S strangely ironic that Remembrance Day can so often seem so easy to forget.
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Of course, we all know it falls at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, but Remembrance Day can creep up on us in a way that Anzac Day never can.
Perhaps it's because there is no public holiday or perhaps it's because Remembrance Day falls towards the start of Australia's silly season - that odd period between Melbourne Cup and Australia Day.
But, for whatever reason, it still comes as something of a surprise for many of us when we realise it's Remembrance Day again.
However, it should not be that way. Remembrance Day recalls an important day in this nation's history and deserves a greater place in our national psyche.
According to the Australian War Memorial, Remembrance Day marks the moment in 1918 that the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of bloody fighting.
"The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement," the AWM says.
"They accepted allied terms that amounted to unconditional surrender."
Armistice Day, as it was originally known, was a significant day in the post-war years but its place on the calendar was slowly surpassed by the nation's recognition of Anzac Day.
While we might ask what it says of a nation that elects to recall a terrible defeat more prominently than a glorious victory, we might also ask how the two days can better co-exist into the future.
An article published in the Western Advocate last week might hold the answer.
In the article, Bathurst veterans Andrew Fletcher and David Mills said they believed more needed to be done to honour the service of modern servicemen and women, particularly those who serve in peacekeeping operations around the world.
"Our modern military personnel can be serving anywhere between six and 12 months overseas only to return after the tour and resume their normal lives without any acknowledgement," Mr Fletcher said.
It's a reasonable point, so could Remembrance Day become their day?
If Anzac Day is about sacrifice in war, can Remembrance Day be about sacrifice in peace?
It's a question worth asking but, in the end, only the servicemen and women themselves can really answer it.
