A Day to Remember

[jeffreyab]

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

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.

Comments

[the-leewit.livejournal.com]

I actually cry if think about that one too hard.

[scifi-sara.livejournal.com]

I went to the same high school as John McCrae. (Guelph, ON)

There was always a wonderful ceremony/presentation on Nov 11th.

last letters home

[parsleigh.livejournal.com]

The New York Times ran several last letters home from recent Iraq War casualties. I was rather choked up while reading them and I passed them to a coworker who is a Vietnam vet and he had an even stronger reaction. HBO has been running snipets of these letters and tonight they are running a 1 hour special. There was an interview with the producer on NPR and he was crying on air while talking about these letters being read by the families of the soldiers. I was crying as I was driving home. I don't know if I will be able to watch the show tonight but will try. Apparently his deal with the families was that he would show their stories in exchange for their reading the last letters from their loved ones. And ABC is getting flack because they are running Saving Private Ryan unedited tonight during primetime. Lou Dobbs on CNN has a poll about whether a network should be able to allow obsenities during prime time, but the whole point is showing that the war WAS an obsenity. This should be an exception for a day like today.

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

I hope they still do.

I went down to the cenotaph yesterday and it was quite moving.

Re: last letters home

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

This http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=alan_seeger is someone posting the World War One diary of poet Alan Seeger.

[http://users.livejournal.com/tearsinheaven-/]

did you go to the ceremony?
by the way, i've added you.. add me back?

[jeffreyab.livejournal.com]

I did make it!

It was moving and well attended I thought.

I especially liked the pipe band and the peacekeepers in the 1st Hussars honour guard.

I met Peace Horse Harry Chadwick.

I will add you back.