Please remember us too -- a thought for Veteran's Day
71"Lest we forget"
November 11 – Veterans Day – a day for Americans to honor those who serve today, those who served yesterday, and those who sacrificed their lives for their nation and countrymen and the world in general.
November 11 – Remembrance Day – a day for Canadians to honor those who serve today, those who served yesterday, and those who sacrificed their lives for their nation and countrymen and the world in general.
This day is something both our nations share; a day set aside to remember and honor those who risked or gave their lives to keep the rest of us safe and secure in our homes.
In Canada, we know of American sacrifices on today’s battlefields, because our media reports these sad events to us, and we share in your grief over your lost sons, husbands, daughters and wives. We know that we also benefit from their sacrifice, and we offer their families our gratitude.
But in the United States, Americans do not hear of Canadian sacrifices, and barely seem to know Canadians are there beside their American brothers and sisters in arms, sharing in the hardship, the fear, the loneliness of being far from home, the pain, the blood, the death.
I spoke of this to an acquaintance here, and the response I heard was “This is the United States, why would we report on Canadian losses?” I can’t believe this callous reply represents the true feelings of the American people.
It is a commonly held misconception Americans seem to nurse that they are all alone in the big bad world, without friends or support, a misconception your media does nothing to correct, and a misconception causing ill-feeling between our countries. For whatever purpose it may serve to keep knowledge from you of the sacrifices made for the common good by your northern neighbor, good friend and ally, let us, this November 11, change that unfortunate situation.
On your Veteran’s day this year, please think on this list of names printed here of those Canadians who gave their lives in the theater of the Afghanistan conflict. Consider this a small effort to correct this grievous oversight of your news media.
Add these names to your thoughts and prayers, even as you honor your American fallen. They too have died for you.
Pray for their families left behind -- their
parents, wives or husbands, and children, and ask that their pain and anguish
be lifted from them, that their sacrifice be not in vain. Thank them, just as you give thanks to and pray for
your fellow Americans.
Let us reflect on the selflessness of those that serve from both sides of our border. They fight and die together for all of us, and we need to remember that.
And in their honor, let’s look again at that famous poem that has come to represent the poignant loss of war.
For all the fallen:
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.
A world renowned poem, but how many of us know how it came to be?
It is a lasting legacy of the terrible battle in the Ypres salient in the spring of 1915.
Although he had been a doctor for years, it was impossible to get used to the suffering, the screams, and the blood of this brutal battle, and Major John McCrae had seen and heard enough in his dressing station to last him a lifetime.
As a surgeon attached to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade, Major McCrae, who had joined the McGill faculty in 1900 after graduating from the University of Toronto, had spent seventeen days treating injured men -- Canadians, British, Indians, French, and Germans.
McCrae later wrote of it:
"I wish I could embody on paper some of the varied sensations of that seventeen days... Seventeen days of Hades! At the end of the first day if anyone had told us we had to spend seventeen days there, we would have folded our hands and said it could not have been done."
One death particularly affected McCrae – a friend, Lieut. Alexis Helmer of Ottawa, killed by a shell burst on 2 May 1915. Lieutenant Helmer was buried later that day in the little cemetery outside McCrae's dressing station, and McCrae had performed the funeral ceremony in the absence of the chaplain.
The next day, sitting on the back of an ambulance parked near the dressing station beside the Canal de l'Yser, just a few hundred yards north of Ypres, McCrae vented his anguish by composing a poem.
In the nearby cemetery, McCrae could see the wild poppies that sprang up in the ditches, between the hastily made graves. He spent twenty minutes of precious rest time scribbling fifteen lines of verse in a notebook.
A young soldier watched him write it. Cyril Allinson a twenty-two year old sergeant-major, was delivering mail that day when he spotted McCrae. The major looked up as Allinson approached, then went on writing while the sergeant-major stood there quietly.
"His face was very tired but calm as we wrote," Allinson recalled. "He looked around from time to time, his eyes straying to Helmer's grave."
When McCrae finished five minutes later, he took his mail from Allinson and, without saying a word, handed his pad to the young NCO. Allinson was moved by what he read:
"The poem was exactly an exact description of the scene in front of us both. He used the word blow in that line because the poppies actually were being blown that morning by a gentle east wind. It seemed to me just an exact description of the scene."
In fact, it was very nearly not published.
Dissatisfied with it, McCrae tossed the poem away, but a fellow officer retrieved it and sent it to newspapers in England. Punch published it on 8 December 1915.
Sadly, McRae also gave his life, killed in 1918.
It has come to represent Remembrance Day in Canada, a national treasure, one recited by the nation each year on November 11.
It is also inscribed in stone at the Arlington cemetery in the U.S. and is revered here as well.
Please – this Veteran’s day, let it also rest in your heart for these Canadian men and women who also laid down their lives for you.
Let us all mourn these fallen Canadians:
Diplomat Glyn Berry
Aid worker Jacqueline Kirk
Aid worker Shirley Case
Sgt. Donald Lucas
Pte. Kevin Kennedy
Cpl. Aaron E. Williams
Pte. David R. Greenslade
Cpl. Christopher P. Stannix
Cpl. Brent Poland
Cpl. KevinMegeney
Cpl Albert Storm
CWO Bob Girouard
Sgt..Darcy Scott Tedford
Pte. Blake Neil Williamson
Trooper Mark Andrew Wilson
Sgt. Craig Paul Gillam.
Cpl. Robert Thomas James Mitchell
Pte..Josh Klukie
Cpl. Glen Arnold
Pte. David Byers
Cpl. Shane Keating
Cpl. Keith Morley
Pte. Mark Anthony Graham
Pte. William Jonathan James Cushley
Warrant Officer Frank Robert Mellish
Warrant Officer Richard Francis Nolan
Sgt. Shane Stachnik
Cpl. David Braun
Cpl. Andrew James Eykelenboom
Master Cpl. Jeffrey Scott Walsh
Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt.
Pte. Kevin Dallaire
Sgt. Vaughan Ingram
Cpl. Bryce Jeffrey Keller
Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid
Cpl. Francisco Gomez
Cpl. Jason Patrick Warren
Cpl. Anthony Jeseph Booeca
Capt. Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard
Cpl. Matthew David James Dinning
Bombardier Myles Stanley John Mansell
Cpl. Randy Payne
Pte. Robert Costall
Master Cpl. Timothy WiIson
Cpl. Paul Davis
Pte. Brawn Scott Woodfield
Cpl. Jamie Brendan Murphy
Cpl. Robbie Christopher Beerenfenger
Sgt. Robert Alan Short
Cpl. Ainsworth Dyer
Pte. Richard Green
Sgt. Marc D. Leger
Pte. Nathan Smith
Master Corporal Allan Stewart
Trooper Patrick James Pentland
Master Cpl Anthony Klumpenhouwer
Cpl. Matthew McCully
Master Cpl. Darrell Jason Priede
Trooper Darryl Caswell
Sgt. Christos Karigiannis
Cpl. Stephen Frederick Bouzane
Pte. Joel Vincent Wiebe
Capt. Matthew Johnathan Dawe
Cpl. Cole Bartsch
Cpl. Jordan Anderson
Capt. Jefferson Francis
Pte. Lane Watkins
Master-Cpl. Colin Bason
Major Raymond Ruckpaul
Pte Simon Longtin
Master Cpl. Christian Duchesne
Master Warrant Officer Mario Mercier
Cpl. Nathan Hornburg
Cpl. Nicholas Beauchamp
Pte. Michel Levesque
Gunner Jonathan Dion
Cpl Eric Labbe
Warrant Officer Hani Massouh
Trooper Richard Renaud
Cpl. Etienne Gonthier
Trooper Michael Yuki Hayakaze
Bombardier Jérémie Ouellet
Sargeant Jason Boyes
Pte. Terry John Street
Cpl. Michael Starker
Capt. Richard Leary
Capt. Jonathan (Jon) Snyder
Private Colin William Wilmot
Corporal Brendan Anthony Downey
Cpl. James Hayward Arna
Master Corporal Josh Roberts
Master Corporal Erin Doyle
Sgt. Shawn Eades
Cpl. Dustin Wasden
Sapper Stephan John Stock
Cpl Andrew Grenon
Cpl. Mike Seggie
Private Chad Horn
Sgt. Scott Shipway
Cpl. Mark McLaren
Pte. Demetrios Diplaros
Warrant Officer Robert Wilson
Cpl. Thomas James Hamilton
Pte. Justin Peter Jones
Pte. John Michael Roy Curwin
Pte. Michael Bruce Freeman
W/O Gaeten Joseph Roberge
Sgt. Greg John Kruse
Trooper Brian Richard Good
Sgt. Vaughn Ingram
Cpl. Bryce James Keller
Cpl. Christopher Jonathan Reid
Pte. Kevin Dallaire
Master Cpl. Raymond Arndt
Sapper Sean David Greenfield
Warrant Officer Dennis Raymond Brown
Cpl. Dany Fortin
Cpl. Kenneth O'Quinn
Trooper Marc Diab
Master Cpl. Scott Francis Vernelli
Cpl. Tyler Crooks
Trooper Jack Bouthillier
Trooper Corey Joseph Hayes
Trooper Karine Blais
Pte.Alexandre Peloquin
Cpl Martin Dubé
Cpl. Nick Bulger
Master Cpl. Charles-Philippe Michaud
Cpl Martin Joannette
Pte. Sébastien Courcy
Sapper Mathieu Allard
Cpl. Christian Bobbit
Maj. Yannick Pepin
Cpl. Jean-François Drouin
Cpl. Patrick Lormand
Master Cpl. Pat Audet
Pvt. Jonathan Couturier
Sapper Steven Marshall
This list is only complete to July of 2009. There are many more names to add.
They gave their lives for all of us, Canadian and American. Won’t you please let them into your hearts this Veteran’s day?
God Bless them!
And God serve and protect all the
families who have given their loved ones for the common good, no matter the side of our border.
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Comments
Dulce et decorum est?
In my town in the UK we have a Remembrance Day ceremony in the town square on November 11. Every year, old men wearing their medals stand next to toddlers in pushchairs, all wearing their poppies. The mayor reads out the names of all the men from the (small) town who died fighting in the two world wars: the fact that this takes a full 5 minutes indicates the extent of the slaughter. We all sing "Dear Lord and Father of mankind/Forgive our foolish ways", followed by the national anthem. Then a bugler plays the Last Post and we all fall silent for 2 minutes at the stroke of 11. The silence is broken by the slow fly-past of three military helicopters, low over the square.
The quiet dignity and solidarity of the whole occasion is incredibly moving. An "old lie" it certainly is, but we should never, ever disrespect the people who died believing it.
A lovely post. Thank you.
I am a Viet Nam vet. I remember the Australians and Canadians who fought beside us there. I know that the Canadians have suffered many losses in Afganistan. However Americans should also remember the British troops who have supported and continue to support us. On veterns day we should not only honour our own. We should honour all men and women that have served to bring freedom into our lives.
Excellent, and you kept track of the fallen heros. I wrote an article about one month ago, because of the none cooperation of the community of helping the vetrans who did survive the war. We need to help the one who need jobs, and other things. The war has left an awful impact on our men and women who served. I personally do not believe in war. We need to have peace in the world, not killing! It pains me to see the number of men and women serving in the arm forces being killed everyday. The greatest hope is prayer for the souls who sacrificed their lives, and their families. Life is not recallable!
The saddest thing of all, the shameful thing actually, is that these young men and women should not be dying in these wars of aggression. Our military forces ostensibly exist for the sole purpose of defense.
These wars are criminal and the greatest crime is that young people are being sacrificed for the profit of kapitalist war profiteers.
Hi papajack -- thanks for the comments.
Hi Rose -- what you describe sounds very much like Remembrance Day services in Canada. Even my small town has a cenataph dedicated to the dead of WW1 and WW11. But now, young people are again dying, and whether we believe in the old lie or not, we must remember them. Rightly or wrongly, they have given their all.
Nan, I've come to know you as a great lady of conscience, and one dedicated to doing His work. Yes, we need peace, not more killing, but it appears we're not likely to have it for the foreseeable future. At least people like you are doing all they can.
Hi ColdWarBaby -- yes, I agree with you. It is all a terrible waste. When it comes to Iraq, I agree with you, wholeheartedly -- shades of Viet Nam. And yes, there are those that say a dictator was toppled, and I suppose one could say that is a good thing. But how long before another climbs into that seat. And would anyone care were it not for the oil? But when it comes to Afghanistan -- terrorists aside, for many years prior to 9/11, I signed petitions, wrote articles, did all that came to hand regarding the plight of the Afghan women. If I lived under such conditions, I too would pray for help. Now, I'm not saying I agree with how things are turning out, but why did no one care about the situation prior to 9/11? Should extremists take over my country (whichever one I happen to be in at the time) and take away all my human rights because I was female, I think I'd be praying for any kind of assistance and liberation. So on Afghanistan, I am definitely of two minds. Although you may be right that this is a kapitalist war, the side benefit has been the liberation of the women from darkest servitude.
My cousin who serves as a mine sweeper there, says we must stay until things are sorted out, for the sake of the Afghan people. Unfortunately, it appears that the leaders who have risen there don't care about their people, (big surprise) so it will probably turn into some horrible quagmire -- one of those problems with no solution.
But I do understand what you are saying. May I direct you to my hub, What tune would Nero fiddle today -- to get my take on the world situation.
You are right when you say, that Americans can be narrowminded in thinking they are the only ones on the planet who has been at war, and suffered losses. This hits home, because I am an American, and I know how the greater majority of us are. For this, I want to say I am sorry. When people realize that what affects one, affects us all, then maybe we can truely unite in the "Greater Cause" of human kind. I am reminded of a CD I viewed not long ago called "Love and War," and how so many lives in so many different places were affected by that war. It makes one think how small minded many people are. Is is truely a great peice. Thank you
Hello Judi, Thanks for your comments. I only wanted to share our Canadian losses with my American friends because it is never mentioned and one of most common comments I hear is "we do so much and never get any help" and it is blatantly untrue. Why your media never reports on the Canadian and British who also give their lives right beside your own, I'll never understand.
As an American, I honor all the men and women who are serving, have served, or sadly, lost their life. My prayers go out to the families of those Canada has lost and I will continue to pray for their safe return, just as I do my own American soldiers. And I will honor the memory of the fallen with the utmost respect. Thank you for reminding me it's not just us there alone, that we do have "allies" who fight and die right along side us. Even though I do not support the war and it's efforts, I do support our soldiers and what they are doing and have done for North America as a whole country. Your neighbor way down south.
Thanks mistywild, I'm sure the families of the fallen will be comforted to know their sacrifice is known. That has been the source of much bad feeling in my country -- the silence.
"It is a commonly held misconception Americans seem to nurse that they are all alone in the big bad world, without friends or support, a misconception your media does nothing to correct"
If it makes you feel any better, I live in the US and I don't know anyone who thinks that.
I also live in the U.S (half the year) and I do. In fact I hear quite regularly how the U.S. is all alone in the world, trying to do so much, without friends or help. Perhaps you should drop in for coffee and I can introduce you around. Obviously you're in for a surprise.
Even TV shows make those comments (Law And Order: A. Branch character "Tell me one instance where anyone's ever done more than hold our coats while we did all the dirty work" -- just for one example and if you want, I can come up with many more.)
But I think you miss my main point. Let's honor them all.
Thank you
papajack says:
3 weeks ago
I shared this with my cousin in Montreal. but this is something that we all should remember, that we are not alone.