Veteran's Day...

In Flanders Field

by Lt. Col. John McCrae

Canadian Army Medical Corps

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

(May 3^rd, 1915, Battle of Ypres, Belgium)

Penned during "The War To End All Wars" - so called because of the millions of lives lost in the bloody, years long conflict - In Flanders Fields stands as the definitive poem for Veteran's Day.  It's a tribute to Lt. Col. McCrae's friend lost in battle, and as such is both a solemn memorial and a compelling call to action.

I had the privilege of reciting this poem when I was only twelve at a Veteran's Day observance in Manchester, Massachusetts, many years ago.

Back then my main focus was simply reciting it clearly and without error; now of course I grasp the deeper, heartfelt meaning McCrae intended.

And so I pause once again to give thanks for veterans everywhere...

...men and women dedicated to serving and protecting our country from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Thank you.