A tribute to all who have fought for us on this Veterans' Day [media=youtube]sKVHH6Qn194[/media] THE HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY http://www.history.army.mil/faq/vetsday/vetshist.htm The estimated number of veterans in the United States. 2,306,000 The estimated number of World War II veterans who die each day. 4,803 :flagusa:
As the daughter of a WORLD WAR II veteran, and the wife of an ARMY VETERAN ... I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO ALL WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES PROTECTING THE USA .. THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ARE SERVING TODAY .. and THANK YOU TO ALL OUR VETERANS! ..
Nov. 11th is also Remembrance Day in Canada, to honour the veterans of the wars that our soldiers fought in. This is a poem that every Canadian schoolchild learns for the occasion. In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. by John McCrae, May 1915 On 2 May, 1915, in the second week of fighting during the Second Battle of Ypres Lieutenant Alexis Helmer was killed by a German artillery shell. He was a friend of the Canadian military doctor Major John McCrae. It is believed that John began the draft for his famous poem 'In Flanders Fields' that evening.
Just as a final note, John McCrae did not make it home from the war either. This poem is almost prophetic in that sense. Also, when you read the poem, and this is probably redundant as most of you will know this, do not pause between lines. Follow the punctuation and make your pauses at those points, the poem becomes ever more powerful in that manner. An interesting sidebar is that the term "to you from failing hands we throw the torch" is also or used to be written on the wall of the dressing room for the Montreal Canadians. Thank you to all of the vets, US, Canadian, allied, yesterday's today's and tomorrows!
