With Gratitude and in Remembrance
Today, in honor of Remembrance Day here in Canada and Veteran’s Day in the US, I wanted to express my appreciation for all who have served their country in past conflicts and those who do so now. I thank you for your sacrifice and acknowledge the debt I, and millions of people living in freedom all over the world, owe you.
My thoughts go to my father, who served in the South Pacific as a US Marine in the Second World War. He enlisted at the tender age of sixteen, although it took two tries. He first attempted to join the US Navy but, according to him, they laughed him out of the building. His older brother, Sam, was a Marine, so dad presented himself and asked to join. He passed the physical, which was more difficult because that branch of the military was, and still is, more of an elite fighting force, sent into the tougher fights before the grunts in the army. He suspected that mentioning his brother, who was a sergeant in the corps at the time, had a lot to do with his acceptance.
Dad came through the war without any serious injuries, other than a bout of pneumonia during training. While he didn’t get shot or captured by the enemy, the things he saw scarred him for life. Although a gregarious man, who could talk your ears off on just about any subject, asking questions about his experiences in the war more often than not brought only silence.
Although he took pride in wearing a poppy every November, his thoughts went to friends and acquaintances who didn’t survive, rather than toward the men and women who currently served in the armed forces.
In his memory I leave you with the following. It was written by Lieutenant-colonel John McCrae, a physician in the Canadian army during World War I:
In Flanders Fields
BY JOHN MCCRAE
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.
I am not a fan of poetry, but this composition touches my heart. Please take the time to remember those who serve to protect us. They deserve our respect and gratitude.
