Remembrance Day

[velvetpage]

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.

Major John McCrae

It's not just about the war dead of previous generations, anymore. Now it's personal. Now it's immediate. Now my brother is off, fighting so that other people can have the same level of peace and prosperity that we enjoy. I don't always agree with how it's done, and I'm not a big fan of missions whose goal is more war rather than more peace, but I admire the people who leave their homes and their families and accept more pay because they are putting their lives on the line.

On Remembrance Day, pray for peace.

Comments

[r-caton.livejournal.com]

May your brother and all those serving get to return to their homes safely.

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, he's out of the worst danger zone - in fact, he's currently stationed in the safest place in the Middle East. For most of the summer he was in Kandahar, though, and we lived with the heightened state of awareness of that.

[bandersnitch.livejournal.com]

I had a customer who had a thick German accent who mentioned that he fought during WWII, but for "the other guys" (his words)

I told him that Remembrance Day wasn't about who won, but to remember those who were brave and bold enough to stand up for their country.

He shook my hand with a smile. Apparently this is not the common thought on the topic, but I was surprised to find out that he gets flack for wearing the poppy and being native German.