I was one of the lucky ones.
It was a real privilege to be in Thiepval in Northern France to mark the centenary of the Somme.
My wife Jane and I are keen on military history and we managed to get two of the 10,000 tickets issued in a special ballot to join people in what was a moving and emotional service.
We were among many from Britain and there were a lot of ordinary people here, as well as members of the Royal family and politicians who led tributes to the dead.
It was a very special day with tributes from people including Prime Minister David Cameron, French president Francois Hollande and the Prince of Wales, but also from former soldiers and the likes of former footballer Sol Campbell, who read the story of a footballer who gave his life.
We gathered at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme that towers over the battlefield in France first thing in the morning for a silence and then had a service with all the tributes.
I spoke to the gardener in charge of the memorial and he said it had taken three years to plant the flowers and prepare the grounds for the service.
It was good to be a part of it.
