We The Fortunate of Canada Do Remember

On November 11, we the fortunate in alliance with many other nations celebrate what we call Rememberance Day.  We honour those who have given so much for our freedom. Throughout the ages, there has always been conflict. Wars of conquest were the norm for most of man’s history. Now we fight for nobler causes. Freedom and the end of tyranny are the new reasons for sending our soldiers to fight and die on foreign fields. We owe these brave men and women our debt and, whatever our feelings on the conflict, our respect and support. They do not choose the conflict. They simply stepped up and served when called. That is why on this day I will always wear a poppy and stand in silence to honour these brave soldiers who fought and died for our way of life.
 
I think that the understanding of what remembering those that have carried out their duty in the past and as well in current times is one merely for an internalized Canada. It’s in honour of our own. Some historians do know how the past wars have always been carried out.

It’s a new era in which we live and is it a time in which there is a need for a repositioning and possible return of how each and every mission of Peace was carried out without the need for a fast forge approach in the past and in the current times in which we live in. I think so.  I am very proud (but not too proud - that seems to be the mannerisms of our society) to be a Canadian, but the manner of honouring the freedom that we have only due to the role that Canada worked in a diplomatic manner with peacekeeping - which was founded by a Lester B. Person.  As well in carrying out engagement and following the rules of international law in over watching the world in alliance with several other countries.  To me that is what I am so proud of with regards to Canada. In world war two three years passed while only Canada and the "crown alliances" had any other country join in at the tail end of the war.  During the first Gulf War we planned out all the mission in concert with United States and Britain.  Now we are faced with a war in which we are not involved in as we were during the first Gulf War, however by way of intelligence we are in Afghanistan and are paying a big price with those that have been there since the beginning of this "new generation" of war.  War is not about who wins.  War is about peace. For the men and women that serve. 

Lieutenant Colonel McCrae was born on 30 November 1872 in Guelph, Ontario.

At age 14, he joined the Highfield Cadet Corps and, three years later, enlisted in the Militia field battery. While attending the University of Toronto Medical School, he was a member of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada.
With Britain declaring war on Germany on 4 August 1914, Canada’s involvement was automatic. John McCrae was among the first wave of Canadians who enlisted to serve and he was appointed as brigade surgeon to the First Brigade of the Canadian Forces Artillery.

In April 1915, John McCrae was stationed near Ypres, Belgium, the area traditionally called Flanders. It was there, during the Second Battle of Ypres, that some of the fiercest fighting of the First World War occurred. Working from a dressing station on the banks of the Yser Canal, dressing hundreds of wounded soldiers from wave after wave of relentless enemy attack, he observed how “we are weary in body and wearier in mind. The general impression in my mind is of a nightmare.”  In May, 1915, on the day following the death of fellow soldier Lt Alexis Helmer of Canada, John McCrae wrote a now famous work, an expression of his anguish over the loss of his friend and a reflection of his surroundings and the wild Poppies growing amid simple wooden crosses marking makeshift graves.

These 15 lines that he wrote within twenty minutes captured an exact description of the sights and sounds of the area around him.  McCrae left Ypres with these memorable few lines scrawled on a scrap of paper. His words were a poem which started, “In Flanders fields the poppies blow…”

Little did he know then that these 15 lines would become enshrined in the innermost thoughts and hearts of all soldiers who hear them. Through his words, the scarlet Poppy quickly became the symbol for soldiers who died in battle.

The poem was first published on 8 December 1915 in England...

~ 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

His poem speaks of Flanders fields, but the subject is universal. The fear of the dead that they will be forgotten, that their death will have been in vain. Remembrance, as symbolized by the Poppy, is our eternal answer which belies that fear.  An American teacher, Moina Michael, while working at the YMCA Overseas War Secretaries’ headquarters in New York City in November 1918, read John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields”.   She immediately made “a personal pledge to keep the faith and vowed always to wear a red
poppy of Flanders Fields as a sign of remembrance and as an emblem for keeping the faith with all who died".

Two years later, during a 1920 visit to the United States, a French woman, Madame Guerin, learned of the custom. On her return to France, she decided to use handmade Poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country.  Following the example of Madame Guerin, the Great War Veterans’ Association in Canada which was the predecessor of The Royal Canadian Legion, officially adopted the Poppy as its Flower of Remembrance on 5 July 1921.

Thanks to the millions of Canadians who wear the lapel Poppy each November, the little red plant has never died. Nor has Canadian’s memories of the 120,000 thousand that have died for their country in the past and currently in the times in which we face right now in Afghanistan.

The Poppy was not just for Rememberance but it stood for a symbol of unity.

The morning of 9 April 1917, the Battle of Vimy Ridge began, marking an important milestone in our military history. For the next few days, Canadian troops fought relentlessly, braving enemy forces, a heavily fortified ridge and the weather. This battle was significant; not only was it a resounding success for Canada but, in the words of Brigadier General A.E. Ross, it marked the“birth of a nation”.

No longer would Canada be overshadowed by the military strength of her allies. This battle had proven Canada’s ability as a formidable force in the theatre of war. And since that time Canada has been a very silent smart force that works in alliance in trying to maintain peace. It's ironic that this has been a thread that all historians know of, but many civilian people don't.

The bravery, discipline and sacrifice that Canadian troops displayed during those few days are now legendary. The battle represented a memorable unification of our personnel resources as troops from all Canadian military divisions, from all parts of Canada and from all walks of life, joined to collectively overcome the powerful enemy at considerable odds. Our troops united to defeat adversity and a military threat to the world.

Now, decades later, Canadians stand united, within our own lands and along with other many countries with recognizing the unity of men and women that have displayed honour and have maintained freedom within our own country and in alliance with many other countries. We remember and yet at the same time we stand united with many nations. Due to that - I am very proud to be a Canadian citizen by way of birth...