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Lest We Forget

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Lest We Forget Empty Lest We Forget

Post by artatoldotr 11/10/2017, 2:20 pm

A Poem Worth Sharing


He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbours
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Joe has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Veteran died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Veteran died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young,
But the passing of a Veteran
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Veteran,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever-waffling stand?

Or would you want a Veteran
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Veteran,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Veteran,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his likes again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Veteran's part,
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A VETERAN DIED TODAY."
artatoldotr
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Post by artatoldotr 11/9/2018, 3:57 pm

Lest We Forget

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Art
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Post by Space Cadet 11/9/2018, 5:42 pm

Thank You Art. I'm an Army dad twice. My sons served 75 months in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. These brought me to tears of pride.

Our world owes a debt, which we can never repay, for the sacrifice of the men and women who "Fought for Us." Generation after generation has answered the call to duty and made the sacrifice for us. And we must always remember... respect... and be grateful.

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Post by artatoldotr 11/9/2021, 12:42 pm

Lest We Forget !

In September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a History teacher at Valley Heights High School in Port Rowan, Ontario , did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks in her classroom. When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks. 'Ms. Cothren, where are our desks?'

She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earn the right to sit at a desk.'

They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.' 'No,' she said.

'Maybe it's our behaviour.' She told them, 'No, it's not even your behaviour.'

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom. Kids called their parents to tell them what was happening and by early afternoon television news crews had started gathering at the school to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom. Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he or she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it. Twenty-seven (27) Veterans, all in uniform, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall. By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you. They placed the desks here for you. They went halfway around the world, giving up their education and interrupting their careers and families so you could have the freedom you have. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens. They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'

By the way, this is a true story. And this teacher was awarded Veterans of Foreign Wars Teacher of the Year in 2006. She is the daughter of a WWII POW.

Do you think this is worth passing along so others won't forget either, that the freedoms we have in this great country were earned by our Veterans?

I did.

Let us always remember the men and women of our military and the rights they have won for us.
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Post by artatoldotr 11/11/2022, 11:09 am

It was at what would become known as the “2nd Battle of Ypres”, in the spring of 1915, that the words of Captain John McCrae, would forevermore immortalize the symbol of sacrifice the world over.

Captain McCrae was serving as a surgeon with the 1st Field Artillery Brigade during the battles of the Ypres salient. It was the death of a friend and former student, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, that inspired McCrae to write his now famous poem.

However, that poem was nearly lost forever as McCrae, who was not happy with what he had written, discarded it. A fellow officer retrieved the paper and sent it to England to be published.
The Spectator of London rejected the poem but it was published by Punch magazine in its December 8th edition of 1915.

Lieutenant Colonel McCrae died on January 28th, 1918 of pneumonia and meningitis. He is buried in Wimereux Cemetery in France.

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That marks 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
Flanders, 1915
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Post by artatoldotr 11/11/2022, 9:21 pm

I received this from a neighbour and a friend of over 50 years this afternoon....

A TERRIFIC POEM , LEST WE FORGET


Good story. A WW2 Vet Joe Shkwareh a Ukrainian who served in the army 1939 -1945. He always said he joined the army to get a pair of boots.He served in Italy and Holland.  How he got a copy of this poem is not known. It was written by a journalist in Quebec, Lawerence Vaincourt. Few had ever read the poem.
When Joe made his funeral arrangements he requested that the poem be read at his funeral service. No one but Joe and the funeral director knew about the poem. This is when the poem became well known. It is said that after the funeral the family's phones rang continually asking about the poem.
Joe joined the RCAF in 1949 and retired in 1974. He passed away 2007.
The title of the poem, "A Soldier died today"


Where Did The Country Go Wrong

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew of where he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer
For ol' Joe has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Veteran died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Veteran died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young,
But the passing of a Veteran
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Veteran,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever-waffling stand?

Or would you want a Veteran
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Veteran,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Veteran,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his likes again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Veteran's part,
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A VETERAN DIED TODAY."


PLEASE,
If you are proud of our Vets, then pass this on.


Art
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Posts : 2357
Join date : 2013-04-17
Location : Winnipeg, MB

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