Today is the 70th anniversary of D Day, the beginning of the end of the ‘good’ war, fought by our greatest generation. It saddens me to think that our veterans who stormed the beaches of Normandy are almost all dead now, and that many of our children and our children’s children don’t even know what D Day was. The bravery of the thousands who died there and in the weeks that followed, to bring an end to the horrific evil that was Hitler and his regime must never be forgotten, and I hope those of us who do remember will continue to honor their memory in the decades to come.
We had to learn the following poem when I was in school and was taught real history. It was written by a physician in the Canadian Army (Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) during World War I, but I still can recite it and it seems appropriate to this solemn day.
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.
My deepest gratitude to all the armed service members, current and past, who defend us and our freedom. And especially to my son, Staff Sergeant Patrick Granger, 82nd Airborne, currently serving in Gemany.
I agree. It’s so important not to forget our past, and to honour so many people who have made (and are still making) this world a better place for all of us,
We learnt that poem too Noelle. Yes it is important that we remember those that helped bring peace and safety for us by their efforts in the war.
While always cognizant of D-Day, this is the first I’ve heard of that poem – thanks for sharing it. And thanks for sharing the photo of your son. You must be so proud!
I love that poem, and Irene Watters learned it, too. Interesting that it translated to different countries. And yes, we are very proud of our son. He’s coming home this Saturday on a two week leave!