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Gunther was a good soldier, but a letter he'd sent to a buddy back home in Baltimore had landed him in hot water with the Army. He'd been busted back to private. With the war almost over, Private Gunther brooded over his demotion, he wanted to show everyone that he was a good soldier.
But rushing a German machine gun moments before the Armistice was to go into effect? The Germans who had killed him were on edge, warily watching the other Americans. What could they do? The man had rushed them with his bayoneted rifle, had even fired shots at them. They tried to wave him away. Was he crazy?
No, not really. But now he was dead, the last man killed in action in World War I, but not the last to die because of the war. Many of those lying wounded in hospital would never recover, even though they might die years in the future, this war had killed them as sure as if they had fallen at the front.
We call today Veterans Day, originally it was known in this country as Armistice Day. In the nations of the old British Commonwealth, France, and Belgium it is known as Remembrance Day. It is set aside to mark the end of World War I.
The guns fell silent at 11:00 AM, a Monday, on the 11th of November, 1918. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
I have no quarrel with those who celebrate Veterans Day, it is right and fitting that we observe a day to honor those who have worn the uniform of the United States and served honorably.
But it was Armistice Day when I was born, Armistice Day it will always remain - in my heart and in my soul.
They were so young, there were so many who fell.
Never forget.
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| Tommy by Richard Harpum (Source) |
In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
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.
Hand salute.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
Thanks Paul.
DeleteIt's not hard to remember, my dad always bought a poppy EVERY year, both he and mom were quiet on that day, not hard to remember at all.
ReplyDeleteThere were guys providing poppies at the grocery store the other day. First time I've seen that in a while.
DeleteI always remember this day for it's original meaning.
I have said a prayer for those that served, as they looked out for us, and protected us. I, like the rest of us here, am deeply grateful for what they did. Thanks, Chris, for the posts of the last week.
ReplyDelete'Twas an honor to write of those times and the people who lived through them.
DeleteEven though the name of the day was changed to "Veteran's Day" in 1954 almost all the men around my dad's age at his VFW Post called it Armistice Day up into the 1970s. Maybe because there were still some Doughboys active there. I don't know. But to me it is still Armistice Day. I will call it Veteran's Day, and don't begrudged the name change, but I think that we have lost an important part of history by changing it.
ReplyDeleteConcur. Why they couldn't have taken another day to honor all veterans, and in truth the WWII vets wanted a day, puzzles me.
DeleteCongress, making simple things hard since 1774.
I miss buying a poppy from a vet and wearing it on Armistice Day. I haven't seen a poppy seller in a long time. Yet another moment of history lost in the mad scramble of these "Me, Me, My, My, I, I" times.
ReplyDeleteNext year I'll track one down or make one and start wearing it a couple days before. Someone needs to remember the traditions before they are all lost.
And it totally sucked that there were leaders on both sides who pushed to the last minute, the last second. You would think once the final order went out as to the time that that would have a chilling effect on the war. Sad, very sad.
To all those veterans, I render what salute I can. Thank you all for your service, especially those serving in combat or expected combat zones. Just because no-one was actively shooting at you at the time doesn't mean you weren't under the gun. Again, thank you for defending me.
The American Legion had them this year, bought one (actually a donation) from a chap at the grocery store.
DeleteIt's been far too long since I've seen them.
The homeless panhandlers eliminated the poppy sellers here.
DeleteTo be rid of the beggars they had to put up rules that made it insane to conform to. Poppy sellers, being sane...
Well that sucks.
DeleteHey AFSarge;
ReplyDeleteYes they are young as we were young, but they are still young. I have gotten older but I still remember the young ones that didn't make it, to turn old and grumpy. We have made it to that stage and am humbled that I have made it so far. We celebrate Veterans day but we honor those of us that have walked to Fiddlers Green.
Roger that MrG.
DeleteThey shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Meanwhile, in Warsaw young Poles started disarming German soldiers on the streets.
ReplyDeletePilsudski, having travelled quickly from his internment at Magdeburg (he ended there following crisis of loyalty earlier when Germans wanted to take more direct control of his Polish Legions) took reins of power of the interim government.
Poland was about to be reborn after 123 years of partitions.
A proud day for Poland and Poles everywhere!
DeleteHappy Independence Day Poland!
I'm linking to this today at noon, pacific... https://barbacat.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThanks BC!
DeleteI end up doing both Veteran's Day and Remembrance Day.
ReplyDeleteI have too many friends from The Commonwealth for it to be otherwise.
Same here, I pretty much observe both. Had a great uncle died in the Great War, with the Royal Scots Fusiliers. Can't forget him, ever.
DeleteI marched in the Armistice/Veteran's day parade yesterday here in San Diego. Unfortunately there were more people in the parade than standing on the roadside watching. Had it been Monday, I'm sure that would have been different. You can't park anywhere downtown without paying $20 nowadays.
ReplyDeleteI saw the pictures. Sad that there wasn't a bigger turn out.
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