In Flanders Fields
by Lieutenant-Colonel John McRae
Veteran's Day is November 11th in the United States and Remembrance
Day in Canada, Australia, Great Britain, Scotland and Bermuda. Many countries use the poignant
poem In Flanders Fields written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae in May of 1915
to honor their veterans and express their losses. Colonel McCrae
was a member of the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps and was
working on the front lines, aiding fallen soldiers when he wrote this
poem. I hope that each of us, regardless of our political opinions
and our differences, can take a moment today and send our thoughts
and prayers to the families of those who sacrificed for their country.
In Flanders 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.
