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.
- Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
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Every Veterans Day I personally and silently give thought to the many nameless and mostly forgotten people who gave up their private lives, put on the uniform of their nation and went forth to do their duty.
I am a veteran and I know that once you are trained and assigned to whatever your country needs, your life is never the same again.
Most often the change is slight and we absorb the change into our being. But for those who suffer trauma and must suffer for their fulfillment of duty to the end of their days, we owe undying gratitude and support.
I have a friend who works at rehabilitating veterans and who tells me the staff is so short they have worked a sixty-hour week for over two years.
Thus the gratitude of the nation is exhibited in untreated veterans warehoused in corridors, waiting treatment by people who have to be mostly fast. The nation fails in its duty.
Proof of a far left liberal website. Alan makes this post every year, and it shows class. Only one comment besides mine. Truly sad.
Thank an Aging Veteran—While you still can.
hank and hap- veterans are not heroes, they are victims and as such they deserve our unstinting support until they heal. but thanks?- no
@ jhorn – Every member of the military who has served since the abolishment of the draft has been a volunteer. There are few things you can call a veteran worse than “victim.” Respectively, if you “unstintly support” veterans because you consider us victims, you can shove that support up your ass.
brian- volunteering has nothing to do with victimhood. all service people have been used and/or abused by the military. as such, they should receive whatever it takes to get better. and just as i have no right to decide which vets of which war are deserving of support you have no right to decide whose support is acceptable/not acceptable.
Republished from 2010
Hank, some of us don’t feel comfortable collectively genuflecting to Holy America for various reasons, same as we don’t gobble up that Jesus bullshit with you on Sunday mornings. Blind patriotism is as dumb as religious devotion, IMO.
Best wishes to all the vets on the board.
Thank you to all who have served.
In spite of the fact that the neocons of the past decade certainly gave our troops the Jerry Sandusky treatment (figuratively speaking), using them to steal taxpayer dollars from the Treasury, our heroes are not and should not be seen as victims.
We’ll leave playing the victim card to Hank and his fellow travelers.
Thank you, Pundit. This poem is read every Veterans Day at the 11AM ceremony at the Connecticut Street Armory — usually held at the Doughboy statue, but this year (I’m hearing) indoors given the cold temps in respect for the many elderly veterans who attend. It’s quite touching no matter how many times read or heard.
From the heart, veterans and active duty personnel: thank you for your service.
Thank you all for best wishes for Veterans. I spent four years with the Marines in the mid 70′s. Fortunately for me I never saw combat. I thank God I never saw combat, but was prepared to defend the US. I always felt that I defended the ability for us to say what we believe.
This blog is a fine example. Thanks to our way we can disagree peacefully. Yes sometimes we get heated and even personal but we still have the ability to do so without fear of retribution. Much of that is because our civilian controlled military.
From my heart, veterans and active duty personnel: thank you for your service.
At the risk of being redundant – I credit myself for the (small) prosperity I enjoy, and am forever grateful for and beholden to this brave warriors who serve and have served, sacrificing first their liberty and often after their lives and limbs, to guarantee my freedom to accomplish it.
No pedestal is high enough to do them justice.
…and, BRAVO, Brian.
I read the poem at 11AM this morning on the steps of my county Courthouse as M/C of the Memorial Ceremony. Thanks Alan for the nice picture that went along.
@Greg—Thank a veteran who defended your right to spout your ass vomit in a public forum. If you’re that unhappy, they’re always looking for freedom fighters in Venezuela. You’d be very comfortable there.
Sorry Hank – if someone’s rhetoric consists entirely of what Rush said today, he or she cannot accuse anyone of spouting ass vomit.
I served to grow up, drink beer with buddies, get some G.I. Bill for college–a whole lot of personal reasons. I did NOT serve for the flag; my oath was to the constitution, flawed document though it is.
Though I weep for our wounded and dead vets, volunteering to be a hit man for corporate interests isn’t that great. One needs to read Smedley Butler’s (TWO congressional medals of honor!!) “War is a Racket.”
#15 has it right as usual. Maybe the word “victim” is incorrect but one can’t help but feel the citizenry is being duped and our military used in ways it probably should not be.
Thank you to all veterans for your service that allows me to live in the best country in the world.