Veterans' Day

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
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.

The custom is not so prevalent any more, but I remember my dad buying a small red poppy from veterans who sat outside the stores in mid-November. They came on a green wire so that it could be attached to a lapel or - more usually - the rear view mirror in a car. Now, the only place I can still get a poppy is when I travel to Canada near Veterans' Day, Remembrance Day there.

It's really too bad.

Instead of the bombast and braggadocio of those who push war as the panacea for all that threatens or seems to threaten us, the poppies are a reminder that war has consequence. The vision of "…the crosses, row on row…" is evocative of Arlington National Cemetery or the Antietam Cemetery. I've never been to the cemeteries overlooking the Atlantic in France, but even the photos choke me up. I have been to Arlington and I have seen the Old Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Those sites make me proud, and profoundly sad.

As a veteran, I can only shake my head when I think of what this solemn holiday has become. Furniture stores find this a perfect time before the holidays to have sales. Some schools get the day off, but most businesses do not. Some towns have parades in honor of veterans, but who can go if they must work? News that the current administration is seeking to cut funding to so many programs that benefit soldiers, their families and veterans puts the lie to Bush's pledge to "support the troops." What lessons does this teach our children of the worthiness of service-to-country and self-sacrifice? What does this say to all of our veterans about their worth to our society?

Instead of hyping war, let's use this Memorial Day to remember those who've made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Let's remember, too the families left behind, and the battle scarred - whose wounds, both visible and invisible are a constant reminder of the horror of war. Let's also remember that those who've died in service to our country did so in order to protect our freedoms and way of life. Remember this when those same freedoms are under threat by those who would protect us by making us less free.

In these times, it is best to remember Ben Franklin's words:

"Those who would give up essential liberties for a measure of security, deserve neither liberty nor security."