Skip to main content

Remember

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

Comments

00dozo said…
In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
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
nonamedufus said…
00dozo: Gosh, I recall reciting that as a kid in school.
Anonymous said…
I'm grateful!
nonamedufus said…
Quirks: And so should we all be. Too often we take the efforts of our soldiers - past and present - for granted, don't we?
00dozo said…
Me too, for a few years during grade school. They actually have poppies here, but I can never seem to find them or see anyone handing them out.

Do they still recite that poem at the ceremony on Parliament Hill??

And I believe that part the poem was printed on the back of the $10.00 bill at one point.
nonamedufus said…
00dozo: Yep, you're right about the $10 bill and it's actually sung at the ceremony at the War Memorial in Ottawa. Also, the line "To you from failing hands we throw / The torch; be yours to hold it high" is the official motto of the Montreal Canadiens. It was written on the wall of the team's locker room at both the Montreal Forum and the Bell Centre. Thank you Wikipedia!
Donnie said…
Happy Veteran's Day to you Canadiens as well. It's for all veterans so the exact date we "celebrate" it on makes no difference. Please never forget...
Linda Medrano said…
Veterans Day is something that we should always acknowledge. My whole family has been military for generations. My husband retired in June of 2009 after 25 years in the Air Force, part active duty, and part Reserves. I'm giving him some tonight.
nonamedufus said…
Linda: Some what?
Poppies! I wouldn't get that reference if I wasn't half British. I learned only yesterday that they're also a national symbol in Canada. We owe a might big debt to all the soldiers who've fought for God and country over the years.
Anji said…
We must never forget
nonamedufus said…
Mike: Big todo this year over the government's intention to levy a controversial tax on poppies that veteran sell. I mean, c'mon.
nonamedufus said…
Anji: You've got that right.

Popular posts from this blog

My Back Pages - October

Well, folks, I read seven (count 'em) seven books in October. One I didn't finish but even at that I hit the magic number 50 I estimated for myself by the end of the year. The six books I successfully waded through were, firstly, What Happened, Hillary Clinton's book on her bid for the Presidency. I''m a bit of a political junkie so I get off on this stuff but still it kinda struck me as one long whine over losing. Next up was the excellent Canyon of Dreams: The Magic and Music of Laurel Canyon. Laurel Canyon was the fabled area outside of Los Angeles where many musicians and artists lived. Known as a 60s enclave, the book takes a look at just who lived there over the last 80 years. A fascinating read. Next up was Lightfoot, a biography of Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot. He may have been responsible for some iconic folk songs but he was also quite the womanizer and boozer. Enough said. Then I read Dan Brown's new tome Origin, the fifth ...

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born.  That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network.  And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard.  But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door.  And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran.  The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993.  I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share.  The formula was pretty simple.  A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains.  The show opened as follows... Imagination Day!  Oh boy! ...

30 Days of Photos III #4 Sour

Check out Ziva's Inferno for the rest of today's photos.