Monday, May 26, 2014

Memorial Day - 2014


The young dead soldiers do not speak. 

Nevertheless, they are heard in the still houses: 
who has not heard them? 

They have a silence that speaks for them at night 
and when the clock counts. 

They say: We were young. We have died. 
Remember us. 

They say: We have done what we could 
but until it is finished it is not done. 

They say: We have given our lives but until it is finished 
no one can know what our lives gave. 

They say: Our deaths are not ours: they are yours, 
they will mean what you make them. 

They say: Whether our lives and our deaths were for 
peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say, 
it is you who must say this. 

They say, We leave you our deaths. Give them their meaning: give them an end to the 
war and a true peace: give them a victory that ends the war and a peace afterwards: 
give them their meaning.

We were young, they say. We have died; remember us. 

Archibald MacLeish


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


In nearly every corner of the world, our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have laid down their lives...

Belgium

Italy

France

The Netherlands

The National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
(Hawaii)

At the going down of the sun...



...and in the morning...



We will remember them.



Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal 
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres, 
There is music in the midst of desolation 
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young, 
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. 
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted; 
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: 
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning 
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; 
They sit no more at familiar tables of home; 
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; 
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound, 
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, 
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known 
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, 
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain; 
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, 
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Laurence Binyon

On this day, take a moment to remember...

Whisper a silent prayer of thanks...

Raise your glass and pay homage to those who gave all of their tomorrows...

That we might have today.



11 comments:

  1. Thank you. Such a beautiful tribute.

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  2. Well done, Sarge. Outstanding.
    And now it's dusty in here for some reason ...

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  3. Amen, and thank you for remembering.

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  4. Thank you all. Together, we remember.

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  5. thank you for this post, and thank you for your service to our country.

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  6. Nice post remembering our fallen, not that I thought you would forget what this day is about. My neighborhood has a parade every year to celebrate Memorial Day. An anchor from a local TV network saw my veteran-themed tee-shirt and asked me what I thought about the parade and if I thought it was a nice way to remember those who have served. I'm not sure she understood that Memorial Day is to honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, not our veterans. I was polite and said that I always appreciate people thanking me for my service, but I always try to remind people that that's what Veteran's day is for, and for us not to forget our fallen servicemen and women.

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    Replies
    1. The number of people who don't get the distinction between Memorial Day and Veterans' Day is not that much of a surprise to me. But as they're civilians, I cut them a lot of slack. If the moment and the circumstances seem right, I'll try to educate them.

      I told one "Happy Memorial Day" type the other day that it was okay for him, as a civilian, to be "happy" on that day.

      For me, it's a day where we who served in the military remember our dead.

      He seemed, confused.

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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