Yesterday, I distributed red paper poppies to passersby along with my fellow American Legion members. Last night I attended a party in celebration of the Marine Corps birthday. Today I’ll be on the National Mall joining with other veterans in readings to commemorate Veterans Day.
These are activities I’ve been participating in for many years. Every Memorial Day and Veterans Day and every Marine Corps birthday, we veterans celebrate the contributions our military members. And we remember those no longer living.
In that spirit, I quote once again John McCrae’s beloved poem, dated 8 December 1915:
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.
Tom, I also distributed poppies (on Nov 10) for the VFW and put a post in my blog entitled “In Flanders Fields.”
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