Remembrance Day, taken 11.11.2005 (view large)
(More after the fold)
I am really rather afraid, but more afraid to stay at home with my conscience.*
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
~Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae*
Poppy field, taken by flickrist phitar
~
God and the soldier
All men adore
In time of trouble,
And no more;
For when war is over
And all things righted,
God is neglected–
The old soldier slighted.
~Anonymous
War Memorial, taken 9.24.2005
~
Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds–and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of–wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,
I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I’ve topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew.
And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
~John Gillespie Magee, Jr. (1922-1941)
Sunset, taken by flickrist creativity+
I will not forget.
_____
* Alternate link d/t Veterans Affairs Canada webpage problems.
Cross-posted to European Tribune, and my blog parvum opus. (Edited 11.11.2004 at 13:36hEST.)
To all veterans, including my Grandfather. I appreciate your sacrifice, and I will never forget.
Beautiful, olivia, just beautiful, words and pictures both.
Olivia, what a lovely diary. Thank You so very much.
Thank you Olivia. I salute you, along with my fellow Booman Veterans.
Beautifully done.
Beautiful tribute…
We will not forget.
I think shorter is many times better as the brevity of the poems and the poignancy of the images will stay with you and linger in your mind.
Thanks for the links also…I remember having to memorize Flanders Fields as a kid in grade school and I know I had no idea really what I was memorizing….today I do and I cried while revisiting this poem. And to read about John McCrae(and his letters from his horse)gives even more meaning to this universal poem.
And I can only hope when war is over that this time no soldier is slighted.
Yes… I wrote to brinn in her poetry diary the other day, that I am amazed at those ‘wordsmiths’ who explain context and emotion in few words…
McCrae sounded like a very gentle soul, didn’t he. I too was touched by the story of his horse,
You do that with your amazing photography. I finally made it over to your site and was looking back through the daily image link-just really incredible.
<hat tip> Thankya kindly!
PS. Thanks for visiting! You should get yourself an account so that you can comment at Dean’s site, and mine. (Read your comment over at Manny’s.) That’s what I did initially – no blog, but just an account to post at others’ blogger sites.
thanks for that tip..I just thought you had to have a blog of your own to be able to comment..he does put up some really cool art work doesn’t he.
I’m not sure if it was just me, but even as early as Grade 5, I remember my teachers making a big deal of Remembrance Day. We read a lot of books and poems about what war was like, and had assorted ceremonies, among other things. (We were also encouraged to attend the veterans’ ceremonies on our day off-school. Man, were those sobering!) While many of the people around me had forgotten all this by the time of high school, a lot still remembered.
Some of the schools I went to even had plaques mounted in their halls listing all the former students lost in World War I, World War II, and the Korean war. And their ages (always depressingly low) at the time of their death.
Perhaps this is why Canada isn’t quite as quick to jump into war as certain other countries?
yes, and the CBC is just covering it wall-to-wall right now… hard to escape the faces & think of war in the abstract when the veterans are broadcast as peace ambassadors into every Canadian home.
… did as well. Covered the proceedings live.
Those faces are looking awfully old now-a-days. This was the first proceedings in Ottawa w/ no WWI vet attending.
Time goes on, but have we really learned? All we can do is try to remember. And when those who experienced, or are experiencing, we take the time to listen. One of the greatest regrets in my life is that I didn’t take the time to talk with Grandpa about it while he was alive. Just one time he brought it up, when I was a teenager – he pulled out his Navy items to show me.
It’s true. In Canada it’s a much more somber day – could you ever imagine a Remembrance Day Sale?
I don’t even have a poppy anymore – the ones we brought down with us have been lost, or wrecked. I love the poppy as a symbol for all to wear to remember – to thank and to try our hardest to never go to war again.
In Canada it’s more of a “we honour the sacrifices but we regret that it ever came to that” they were just kids – much like the kids who are dying today in Iraq.
Did you guys know that we have a history of both red and white poppies?
I had not heard of white poppies until I read this story today, Red and white: The parallel histories of two poppies. A snippet:
Yes, some of the ages on those school corridor plaques are depressingly low. Especially of the not-so-rare young men who lied about their age. I think my high school had three or four who hadn’t even hit graduation age on their plaque.
I think many of the underage signed on to Merchant Marines b/c they were turned away from other service…
Yes. I’m pretty sure at least a couple of the ones from my high school wound up in the Infantry, though.
To all veterans and most current ones of all. I want to send to you a very huge hug from me. Welcome home! NO matter what war, time of service or gender. To each and every Color Guard that serves our Colors to us to salute. To each civilian that gives honor and of their family members for our military, past and present, I love you all.
My heart lies heavy today with my memories of years past and time of present thoughts of those lost and currently serving. I have read each of your diaries here for the veterans. My heart go out to each of you. Tracy, my heart still is heavy for your Uncle. I honor him always. For all who lost a family member in VN, I will never forget. Just remember that, PLEASE.
I honor my country with my heart and with any thing I might do to give it honor. This is my country. I love it dearly. I served my country with your brothers, sisters, husbands and wives, aunts, uncles, grandfathers/mothers. I remember and I shall never forget…NEVER, EVER!
I grieve each day, I let my mind go back to those days.
As of yesterday, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARINES. (Semper Fi) To the members of Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines. I dedicate this honor……….(((hand salute))))
To the 5th Special Forces, of which I have many friends. I love you all.
To the Red Cross, USO, and all Religious orgs. who came to give to us their hand and heart.
To the Aussies!!!!!!!!!! Hugs to you all
To the HERD!!!! God how I love you! When you stood in the mist of that fateful day, from all the dead…my heart cries with you always. I remember each division of any airborne member.
From the Ash-Valley, I-Drang, Citadel (Hue), to those of from DMZ and Camp Evans to the very south and all inbetween. To all that served our country of my war era, who gave of their life to the River Rats to the Tunnel Rats to all the nurses, hospital corpsman and medics. To all that would take my life time to remember, to you I salute you and hold it till you pass in review. My heart lies forever resolute to you……
Some of the battles and places are just memories. But memories are what makes it so difficult in many ways to understand. When we lie awake at night time to try to put those memories to rest, we cry silently. To those who still suffer from PTSD, I understand. To those who hurt from the wounds open and closed, I wished I could take away your pain. I could go on and on, but need to let it go, for now, anyhow.
Always and Forever,
Brenda, a veteran
Thank You.
I will not forget.
Olivia, like you there will be many today, but every day, that will always carry burdens to remember and that will always bring it close to our lives. Those who do not have any of those memories, it will never matter anyhow. Those are the ones who will not matter when it comes to the way they spend their after life on here on earth, anyhow.
But thank you for remembering. That is all it takes from a vet…just to remember why. Hugs
PS: you are very welcome and it was my sincere pleasure to serve you and my country.
Now you have a 7th SFG(A) friend to add to that list. As I recall, weren’t you a nurse in the service or am I confusing you with someone else, is so, thanks to you too, and if not, thanks to you too.
yup..u got that one right…7th, well I’ll be. hugs to you most certainly.
Yea, and 19th SF (NG) while in college. Then did a 180 and joined the Navy as an intel officer once I had my degree. Didn’t work out for more than 2 years though, seems the security folks didn’t like my Russian wife (whose now a citizen with a sec.clr.). I guess I should’ve pulled a Karl Rove, but I was much to naive and not smart enough for that. Or maybe it’s the difference between an Ensign and a Presidential Advisor. Dunno!