Veteran''s Day

[oldminer]

The first world war ended 11/11/1918. Today is a day to remember all our fallen heroes. Thank a vet when you meet one. The price of freedom is a high one, that many have paid in full.

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"During the First World War, the red poppies were seen to
be among the first living plants that sprouted from the
devastation of the battlefields of northern France and
Belgium. Soldiers'' folklore had it that the poppies were
vivid red from having been nurtured in ground drenched with
the blood of their comrades. The sight of the poppies on
the battlefield at Ypres in 1915 moved Lieutenant Colonel
John McCrae to write the poem 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.

John McCrae"

 

[Iceman]

I was down at Ft.Benning watching my son graduate into the infantry. What was nice was his grandfather who was one of the first ones on Omaha beach, got to hang his blue cord to his shoulders real touching moment. My son turned down a rangers contract to go into a private military college to get his commission early. We just found out he is going over. He is excited, we are not. He wants others to enjoy the freedoms we have. This generation is very patriotic. This is a kid that could walk right into my business and make 6 figures on his income. Instead he has this calling. I’m really proud of him.

The Iceman

 

[oldminer]

My son-in-law is an Infantry 1st Sargeant in the PA National Guard and will be going into Iraq in late December. He is now on active duty at Ft. Bliss, soon to go over to Ft. Polk and then to Kuwait. He has been in the Army Rangers for 15 years and was in the first Iraq war. Now he has two little twin girls and a wife where before he was single. I hate to see him go, but I support his desire to serve.

My fear is that battling terrorists inflames the moderates in these situations. Iraqi people, who would never hurt us, become radicalized and subsequently join the ranks of those who fight against us. By fighting we work against our own best interests. We are helping to create the very thing we wish to destroy. While I don''t see a solution readily at hand, I sure can see that we are in for a sustained conflict in a place that does not wish us to be there. Just because we "love" democracy does not automatically mean everyone else should or must adopt it.

Honoring our troops is not a blanket approval of our government policy. Soldiers do what they are ordered to do. It is the judgment of our leaders which has me worried. I hope every morning for some good news.

 

[JC]

AMEN to that. That's got to be tough, but you must be EXTREMELY proud. I'll be sure to say a prayer for your son-in-law.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

I regularly go to the battlefields and some of the more than hundred war cemeteries in the west of Belgium, where millions of soldiers lost their life in what they called "The Great War".

Today, I was once again reading some poems, written by soldiers in that war. A Flemish author has translated them in Dutch, but the original version is also in this book.

Let me give you the poem ''They'' of Siegfried Sassoon

''The Bishop tells us: "When the boys come back

They will not be the same; for they''ll have fought

In a just cause: they lead the last attack

On Anti-Christ; their comrades'' blood has bought

New right to breed an honourable race,

They have challenged Death and dared him face to face."

"We''re none of us the same !" the boys reply.

"For George lost both his legs; and Bill''s stone blind;

Poor Jim''s shot through the lungs and like to die;

and Bert''s gone syphilitic: you''ll not find

A chap who''s served that hasn''t found some change."

And the Bishop said: "The ways of God are strange !"

''

To all soldiers, live long,

 

[Hest88]

Dave and Iceman, and anyone else out there with friends and family in the military, I hope your loved ones come back safe and sound.

 

[Jennifer5973]

How appropriate. Thank you , Oldminer, for starting this thread, lest any of us forget. I come from a family of veterans, dating back to the Revolutionary War. This country''s certainly not perfect but God Bless America.

I continue to be humbled by the sacrafice of these heroes before us and those today who represent our country on the battlefront. As we sit here and prattle on about diamonds, someone, somewhere is dying for this country and our values.

 

[lmurden]

I''m a day late, but Oldminer I agree with you totally!