The Four-Day Weekend...

[St. George]

Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was assigned as the Surgeon to the Canadian First Field Artillery Brigade.

He had served during the Boer War, and was no stranger to hardship and carnage, but the fighting in the Ypres Salient was so horrendous, that it caused him to write this as a sort of release, after he'd just buried a friend.

It was penned at the Dressing Station on the banks of the Canal de l'Yser.

Dissatisfied with it, McCrae tossed the poem away, but a fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to
newspapers in England.

'The Spectator', in London, rejected it, but 'Punch' published it on 8 December 1915.

He died while on active service on the 28 day of January, 1918.

Before his death, he wrote:

'In Flander's 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 amidst 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 lift it high.
If ye break faith with those who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies blow
In Flanders fields.

After the Great War, this poem was read at Armistice Day gatherings, celebrating the end of the 'War to End All Wars', on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.

Like Decoration Day - it was a time for reflection and for cleaning the gravestones of loved ones.

Then - some bright soul decided that - since folks were generally all off work - that they could also use their time to buy things - and they could buy even 'more' things and go places to spend money if they combined a couple of days set aside by a grateful Nation to honor their war dead, and re-named them to call them 'Veteran's Day' - and thus - the four-day weekend was born.

Go - buy stuff, and enjoy yourself - but in between trips to the mall - swing by the cemetary and take just a couple of minutes to tell someone 'Thanks'.

They'll appreciate the gesture.

Vaya,

Scouts Out!

[Will Ketchum]

Amen Brother!

Will Ketchum

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Here in Canada we don't do the four days, and we don't muck about with the 11th.  The ceremony's are all precisely at 11;00 am on the 11th.  This year we government employees get a bonus day off, the 13th.

Saturday, I will put on my old UN beret and parade with the Legion at the cenotaph.  There are fewer and fewer of the old vets each year, but we must remember.

By the way there are still three WW1 vets alive in Canada, all aged 105-106.  There is a petition circulating to urge the Federal government to hold a State Funeral, when the last one goes over the top

[Advertising]

[Montana Slim]

Just wanted to say howdy to friends and thank our vets!

Also, Happy BD to the Marine Corp!


Slim

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Amen!

[River City John]

Driving home today from work I was listening to NPR and they were presenting a little piece about a group of veterans restoring either a Liberty Ship or a Victory ship, not sure which, that was turned out in just 3 1/2 days in the shipyards in Richmond, CA during WWII.

It had been christened the "Red Oak, IA", - named to honor that city because it had the highest wartime loss, per capita, of ANY U.S. city.

Can you imagine what Veterans Day has meant to that community?

[Steel Horse Bailey]

RCJ said:

"Can you imagine what Veterans Day has meant to that community?"

I imagine it means a LOT more there than many places - at least to the 40 yr. old and older crowd.

To any of my/our pards who frequent this board and others like it;  that was NOT a slam directed at you!  It's a fact that "gun people" generally care more about traditional and family values and that wonderful, but often in short supply these days (it seems,) trait - Honor.

Thanks to all y'all fellow Veterans and friends of Vets.

Respectfully, Jeff Bailey  "Steel Horse Bailey"

Formerly SSG Jeffry C. Bailey, US Army

[Dr. Bob]

Happy Veterans Day!!  I am proud to be one.  Army active duty March 1966 to March 1968, all in the lovely state of Maryland!  5 1/2 years of a 4 year obligation here in the Reserves.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Its time again to remember.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

... And time again to agree.

[Dr. Bob]

And remember that it is Armistice Day!  Nov. 11, 1918 when the fighting stopped on the Western Front of WWI.  Remember ALL veterans and those who now defend us around the world.

Tomorrow I will spend the day at the National WWI Museum here in KC.  I will be wearing my original WWI Infantry Captain's uniform to honor my grandfather who was an Inf. Capt. in the 331 MG BN, 86th Infantry Division.  Today I wore my new summer weight uniform, Capt. of Ordnance, 86th Inf. Div. as that is what I was when I was in the Army.

To enter the museum, you cross a glass bridge, over a field of poppies.  This is our section of No Man's Land, Flanders field, with 9,000 poppies, each one representing 1,000 soldiers killed in the War. 

We MUST remember.

[Irish Dave]

And may God bless and protect all our men and women in uniform wherever they may be.

[Steel Horse Bailey]

Yep!

[Ottawa Creek Bill]

Roger Wilco........

Bill