Our View: Soldiers overseas fighting for us still

Anzac Day is one of those truly special days - a day to remember, to be thankful and to cherish the freedoms for which so many of our men and women have fought and which many of us often take for granted.
Today is the day we commemorate those who died in the service of their country and honour the servicemen and women who returned to us. Today is also a day to remember that there are still Kiwis fighting on our behalf right now, proudly performing their duties in places like Afghanistan.
The wars we see on our television screens may seem to be far away and not necessarily relevant to our daily lives but they are much closer to home than we often care to realise.
In today's Street View we asked people on the streets of Rotorua if they commemorate Anzac Day and one respondent reminded us that there are people from our very own community fighting wars on our behalf.
The husband of one woman we spoke to is serving with the New Zealand forces in Afghanistan and she makes a very good point - what the soldiers of previous wars did "for us" and for our country is important. What soldiers like her husband are still doing is also important.
Anzac Day celebrations are attracting a growing number of young New Zealanders who want to respect and honour the soldiers who died.
The day is commemorated on April 25 because it is the anniversary of the landing of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at Gallipoli in 1915. We have observed the day since 1916 and it has become about much more than Gallipoli. Lest we forget.