I met with a WWII veteran last night for the local newspaper and he shared with me, “After WWII, we were 16 million strong and now there are less than 2 million of us left.”
Everyone knows someone who has served in the military for the United States. It may be your husband, your father, brother, sister, niece, nephew, neighbor or yourself.
You can watch a really nice tribute on Youtube here.
This Friday as we commemorate Veteran’s Day in America and you should look for the VFW tables in your community and leave a donation when you pick up a poppy.
The idea of the poppy came from the poem written by World War I Colonel John McCrae, a surgeon with Canada’s First Brigade Artillery. It expressed McCrae’s grief over the “row on row” of graves of soldiers who had died on Flanders’ battlefields, located in a region of western Belgium and northern France.
The last few verses of the poem are:
“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.”
In response to the poem “In Flanders Field,” Miss Moina Michael originated the
Flanders Memorial Poppy which has raised millions of dollars for veterans and their
families. Miss Michael became known to millions of World War I veterans as the
“Poppy Lady” and on 9 November 1918 she wrote the poem, We Shall Keep the Faith in
response to the In Flanders Field poem. The last few verses of the poem are:
“And now the Torch and Poppy red
We wear in honor of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
We’ve learned the lesson that ye taught
In Flanders Fields.”
My father was just 19 years old when he shipped out to foreign waters during WWII. My nephew joined when he was 17 years old and never imagined he would make the military his career and serve several tours overseas in the Middle East.
On Friday as you hustle and bustle freely to work, school or just sit at home, I hope you remember to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for those who have served or are serving still.
May we never forget to thank a Vet.
Sources:
http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ff.php
http://savannahnow.com/bluffton-opinion/2011-11-09/veterans-day-time-honor#.Trpon1Yg-QM