U.S. Airmen from RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath marched in Remembrance Day parades and attended church services across East Anglia, Nov. 11, 2018.
Remembrance Day in the U.K. is a day to honor and pay respect to military service members who sacrificed their lives fighting for their country. This year marked the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, which ended World War I in 1918.
RAF Mildenhall leaders and representatives of the community laid red poppy wreaths on WWI memorials and graves to honor the fallen. Poppies still grew on the bombed and blasted fields where the blood of brave heroes was shed. Hence, the poppy became the symbol of WWI and Remembrance Day.
Remembrance Day and Armistice Day both fell on the second Sunday of November this year, making the 100th anniversary even more significant. Everyone who attended the ceremonies, including the Royal Air Force and military cadets, bowed their heads in silence for two minutes at 11 a.m. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, 100 years ago, the Allies and Germany signed the armistice that brought the end of the war.
U.S. Airmen stand beside their oldest and closest ally, the United Kingdom, and honor all those who have gone before them: the brave, the courageous, and the heroes who will always be remembered.