In Flanders Fields
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.
Written May 2nd 1915, the second battle of Ypres
This weekend, let us take a moment to re-commit to not
break faith with those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
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quote:Originally posted by Barzillia 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntt3wy-L8Ok
Such a sad song, and the Irish have paid such a terrible price in war...especially the War of Northern Aggression....0 -
Yet again we approach Veterans' Day with the announcement of more U.S. Service personnel being sent overseas.
My best wishes to all Veterans.0 -
The Common Soldier
Nobody cared, when he went to war,
But the woman that cried on his shoulder;
Nobody decked him with immortelles;
He was only a common soldier.
Nobody packed in a dainty trunk
Folded raiment and officer's fair;
A knapsack held all the new recruit
Might own, or love, or eat, or wear.
Nobody gave him a good-by fete,
With sparkling jest and flower crowned wine:
Two or three friends on the sidewalk stood
Watching for Jones, the fourth in line.
Nobody cared how the battle went,
With the man that fought till the bullet sped
Through the coat undecked with leaf or star
On a common soldier left for dead.
The cool rain bathed the fevered wound,
And the kind clouds wept the live long night;
A pitying lotion Nature gave,
Till help might come with morning light -
Such help as the knife of the surgeon gives,
Cleaving the gallant arm from shoulder;
And another name swells the pension list
For the meager pay of a common soldier.
What matter how he served the guns
When plume and sash were over yonder?
What matter though he bear the flag
Through blinding smoke and battle thunder.
What matters though a wife and child
Cry softly for that good arm rent?
And wonder why that random shot
To him, their own, beloved, was sent?
O patriotic hearts, wipe out this stain;
Give jeweled cup and sword and no more;
But let no common soldier blush
To own the loyal wardrobe he wore.
Shout long and loud for victory won
By chief and leader stanch and true;
But don't forget the boys that fought -
Shout for the common soldier too !0 -
Nice read. Reminds me that I once owned a Flander's Flap, only one I'd ever seen. 0 -
Veteran's Day is hear again, amidst talk of sending more American men and boys to fight for, um, something.
Please take a moment to reflect upon those that gave of themselves so that we can chose to take that moment or not.
Thanks guys. You remain in our hearts.
Don0 -
Thanks, Don.
Tomorrow we will gather at Willamette National Cemetery and place flowers for the vets we take care of, the four Medal of Honor recipients resting there, and two of our members who have passed.
One of our members left us last February, and asked that 'In Flanders Field' be read when we came to visit.
I will try to make it through without losing it, but it will be difficult.0 -
WW1 Thanks Grand Father Thanks to all Veterans[^] 0 -
LEST WE FORGET[V] 0 -
Confederate Rest!..Point Clear, Al. 0 -
JUST A COMMON SOLDIER (A Soldier Died Today)
by A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
c 1987 A. Lawrence Vaincourt
To hear it read by Tony Lo Bianco with music and photos, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp8z2yJWcEA3 -
Another Armistice Day. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
A thanks to all veterans who have picked up the torch.3 -
It’s been a few years. Brought to the top.
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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.
Yes, I will take up the quarrel, yes I will catch the torch. In fact it was given to me as a baby when my dear great grandfather Harry Phillips held me. He knew....
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Touching Stuff.
Our Soldiers, are the very Best of the Best. Every one.
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Don McManus: 33368408306843/comments/
It’s been a few years. Brought to the top.
Appreciate you bringing it back.
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Not to be a snit, but those sentiments are better suited to Memorial Day, when we honor those who died in service.
Veterans Day is for those still with us.
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Don McManus: 33368408306843/comments/33368393561499
btt
Someday, perhaps we will learn.I continue to hope that will happen but my faith gets shaken time and time again.
Having been to the cemetery at Omaha beach in France and to see so many rows of crosses and then 50 years ago last month having been off the coast of Israel for the 1973 Israel war to see war happening again and again I wonder if things will ever change.
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Thanks for this again Don.
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This poem commemorates the Battle of Passchendaele:
The armies under British command suffered some 275,000 casualties at Passchendaele, a figure that makes a mockery of Haig’s pledge that he would not commit the country to "heavy losses.” Among these were 38,000 Australians, 5,300 New Zealanders, and more than 15,600 Canadians; this final figure was almost exactly the total that had been predicted by Currie ahead of the battle. The Germans suffered 220,000 killed or wounded. At the end, the point of it all was unclear. In 1918 all the ground that had been gained there by the Allies was evacuated in the face of a looming German assault. Passchendaele would be remembered as a symbol of the worst horrors of the First World War, the sheer futility of much of the fighting, and the reckless disregard by some of the war’s senior leaders for the lives of the men under their command.
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The movie "1917," is a movie worth watching for those interested in this period and History in general.
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