Veterans Day

[1958 M274]

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all those who have served, past and present!

PS: A day late happy birthday to any Marines out there…

[jostev]

I too thank them, and I hope that everybody else apperciates them too.

[DuxburyFarmall]

I would also like to thank them. Without our Vetrans where would we be!

THANK YOU

[Rudi]

It is Rememberance Day here in Canada. And curiously enough, this year the Government has included finally veterans of the Korean War, Gulf War(s), Vietnam, and the Cold War as well as PeaceKeepers as actual Veterans...

Way to go...

From the bottom of my heart as a Vet myself, we owe an unrepayable debt to all of those who have gone before to guarantee our freedom and our right to choose.

God Bless ALL Veterans no matter where they served

Here is a neat little article on why the Poppy represents Veterans.. Why the Poppy?

Here is the Poem that Lt-Col. Dr. John McCrae wrote prior to being killed in France during the Great War.

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.

John McCrae

This is a History of the Poppy and why we wear it. I wear my Poppy with a Canadian Flag as the centre instead of a straight pin... much safer. I have seen many do this, and I have even seen the British use this method as well as a few Americans here in Canada... I think it is a good idea..

[George Willer]

Rudi,

We learned that great poem nearly 60 years ago, and I can still recite it. However, I wasn't aware the author was killed in the war. Was he killed in Holland?

[Jim Becker]

The author was a doctor in a field hospital on France. While at that field hospital, he got pneumonia and died. Disease was the most common cause of death among soldiers in WWI. He was buried at Wimereaux Cemetery in France. He was born in Guelph, Ontario.

You can read more about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCrae

[Rudi]

George:

Sadly, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae died of pneumonia at Wimereux near Boulogne, France on the 28th of January 1918 when he was 44 years old.

This is from the link in the previous post..

I have always been very proud of the fact that McCrae was a Canadian and from Ontario -- his poem has epitomized the uselessness of armed conflict as a viable means to solve problems..

[Jim Becker]

It is Rememberance Day here in Canada. And curiously enough, this year the Government has included finally veterans of the Korean War, Gulf War(s), Vietnam, and the Cold War as well as PeaceKeepers as actual Veterans...

I always thought Veterans Day should be a holiday, at least for the veterans. My employers have never seen it the same way. You would think when I worked for a big defense contractor, they would at least agree. I worked out a compromise. I would go to work on 11/11 but just not do any work. My employers have unwittingly gone along with it.

[Rudi]

Jim:

Across Canada there are many variations, but in the Maritime Provinces it is a statutory holiday. I am not too sure whether I like that or not.

When I was young many years ago... , we used to have assemblies in the auditorium. Here we would see members of the Army/Navy/Airforce Reserves or Active Duty servicemen and women as well as Army/Navy/Airforce Cadets and actual Real Honest to God Veterans dressed in either their Legion uniforms or the uniforms they once wore in service. We had prayers, we heard vignettes of some of our special soldiers... much like Sergeant Aubrey Cosens - who came from a little place near where I grew up and where many of my family had either lived or went to a lot -- a place called Porquis Junction. Aubrey won the highest medal for valour that the Commonwealth (read Queen/King) could present to her soldiers, the Victoria Cross. Most Victoria Cross winners were awarded this honour Post-humously..... We would hear In Flander's Fields. Just thinking about it, my heart beats faster, I hear the voices in my mind and I can feel the passion that we all once felt. I still do as do many of my compatriots.

Unfortunately today as has been epitomized by the comments of one Politician sitting on the SCONDVA committee and referenced in my brief to that august body:

"I guess I'm a little bit uncomfortable trying to define the responsibilities of the government to the military, because we'd be telling them what we think our obligation is to them. We already define what their obligation is to us, and that's to act as defenders of our country at the risk of the loss of their life. Now we are to define what we owe them in return for that potential sacrifice. "

too many, far too many of our citizenry frankly doesn't understand and to quote another famous line -- "Frankly Scarlet, I don't Give a D..n" many really do not seem to care.

Having a stat holiday lets people sleep in, go to the cottage if it is still open, take a LONG weekend off... anything except go to a Remembrance Day ceremony. Yes, there are many who still attend, thanks be to God for that, but far to many cannot be bothered.

I would much rather see actual reflection on a business/school/municipality/province-state/national basis that actually meant something instead of the tip of the lip service that is so primary today.

If by any chance I may have offended anyone by these comments, I do apologize. I hope I did not cross the line. I know this is a tractor forum, but it is fun and informative to understand other facets of our friends that haunt this wonderful site.

[Don McCombs]

Rudi,

I echo your sentiments, completely. I'm just glad the thread is still open for discussion and not "locked" like the Election Day in Ohio thread.

[Fiddler's Green]

Hey all,
It does my heart good to hear all of your kind words about veterans. I have heard some pretty mean spirited things said today locally (Maine) about those who serve. I actually heard somebody call our US service men and women pawns. Man did my blood boil. Did I mention that I am an active duty Chief Petty Officer in the US Navy and spend quite a bit of time in the Middle East? I pity small minded folks like this.
I've been visiting this site for quite a while but just registered on this forum today. I bought a '48 Cub last month to add to my '26 10-20 and '38 F-20 that are sitting on my farm in North Dakota waiting for me to retire. It never ceases to amaze me how country folks always are able to keep perspective no matter what their political beliefs. I think that it's hard to join the rat race from a tractor speeding along at six miles per hour! Thanks again for remembering.

[Don McCombs]

FG,

From one vet to another, thank you for your service and welcome to the best forum on the 'net.

LTC (Ret.) USA

[ljw]

Don is right, FG! This is the best forum on the net. Welcome! And I too, believe that nothing is too good for our fighting men and women. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, and I feel that our soldiers are performing flawlessly in a very tough environment. And I think that the threat we are facing is real and must be dealt with. I'm a Vietnam vet. I was drafted, trained, and tried to do the best I could. But todays soldiers are different. It shows when you see them on TV, or listen to them talk. They are motivated and take pride in what they do. I feel that we must support them, and let them know they are doing the right thing. May God bless and watch over our troops! Larry

[400lbsonacubseatspring]

Growing up in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, Veterans Day was a big deal when I was a boy. We had the day off from school, people put out flags on the front porches, there was a special church service at "the old white church"....a relic of the mid 19th century in the middle of the cemetary that was used for shared services between the towns 4 churches on special occaision.

The american legion here put out flags on the cemetary, some of the holders had GAR on them, and there was even a parade.

WWI vets marched, some in their uniform, some in Legion dress. A few vets of the spanish american war rode in convertibles out in front. WWII vets were young men in those days, and they comprised most of the parade. Fire trucks finished up tossing candy to the kids.

Today, on the porches of the elderly in town, you saw a few flags on the porch rails...the kids went to school. One church held a small service with a meager attendance of 20 or so people. There were no parades. The legion here consists of a group of cold-war retirees who play cards twice a week, and come to say a prayer at the funeral of members. They don't even know who served in what war anymore. Civil war vets aren't honored any longer. If no one puts the name of the deceased on the list, they don't get a flag. Contrarily, they put flags on mile markers, thinking they must be old gravesites. Monkeys....

I can't say I'm any better. I didn't put up flags this year.

My daughter doesn't understand the concept of war, or even knows that we are at war with anyone. I cannot relay my memories of veterans day to her. I cannot tell her that her great uncles served in the wars of the latter half of the 20th century, or the horrors of the pacific in WWII that my uncles told to me. She knows her grandfather died a long time ago, but she doesn't know that he did so serving in the army. In her simple world, the bad guy always gets punished neatly, and quickly, and the good guy never gets hurt.

I don't have any way to pass my memories on to her, you see, because she is autistic, and can never understand something as esoteric as a fond memory of a tribute to the men who protected our heritage so long ago.

It is a shame...more than that...a travesty, that we do not honour our veterans in this modern time, and I am just as guilty as everyone else in my apathy. It is something, however, that needs be changed...

[Jack fowler]

DuxburyFarmall said

Without our Veterans where would we be!

Amen to that!!!!

Thank you to the men and women who have served (and are serving) our country.

The site below is a moving remembrance of slide shows honoring soldiers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I must warn you that these slide shows will rip your heart out. Put together by family and friends, they are candid photos of the soldiers. You are seeing them the way they will be remembered in the hearts of loved ones.
If you would like to create a tribute to a fallen soldier, you can. There is no charge, and it will remain on the site permanently. And let's not forget to show our appreciation to the living veterans who also served our country.http://www.legacy.com/Soldiers.asp?Page=FSMovingTributes

Jack Fowler