In Flander's Fields

[Caption: Photo from Reuters Pictures, November 4, 2009 - Field of Remembrance, Westminster Abbey]

In Flander's 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.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

A descendant of Scottish immigrants, Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario on November 30, 1872. He was a physician and an author, but is best known for "In Flander's Field." During the Second Battle of Ypres in Belgium he served as a surgeon with the Canadian artillery in a field hospital.

Throughout the hellish battle in the Ypres Salient, McCrae treated many injured soldiers and on May 2, 1915, he witnessed the death of a close friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer. The next day, after performing the funeral service for his friend in the absence of a chaplain, McCrae sat near the cemetery and, as he watched the poppies blowing between the gravestones, he penned this poem to express his sadness at the devastation. The poem was later published in Punch magazine on December 8, 1915.

I've always loved this poem and remember reciting it as a child with other classmates. We would stand as we articulated the wonderful words to this poem, like a chorale group. The song "Taps" would play over the school intercom. A makeshift cross with a soldier's helmet perched atop would sit in a prominent place at the head of the class and we later stood in silence for a moment to remember the fallen. There was always, always a tinge of sadness and great emotion. Even now when I read the poem, and think of the fallen, tears swell to my eyes and sometimes spill over.

I am grateful I have these memories and grateful that some people still take the time to remember those who sacrificed everything for our freedoms. Most of all, I am grateful to those who went to battle; those who returned, and those who rest in a place far from home and loved ones. May God rest their souls.

November 11 is Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day is of course, the anniversary of the end of World War I 91 years ago, and it is a day for remembering those who died in the wars.
On the 11th day of the 11th month at the 11th hour, please remember the war heroes.