Wallpaper Competition 42
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2005 8:06 am
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 the guns fell silent. After more than four years of the bloodiest, deadliest war the world at that time had ever seen, the silence was deafening. Soldiers on all fronts believed that the ceasefire was temporary and that the battle would rage again before nightfall. Elsewhere on the globe citizens were celebrating in the streets as news that the war was over spread from city to city. As the guns remained silent and orders were given to pull out, only then was the true cost of war tallied up.
A phrase utilized by Rudyard Kipling in his 1887 poem Recessional has become the international slogan of Remberance Day: Lest We Forget. In Canada, another term came into use, one referring to the nation\'s war memorials: We Will Remember Them. Every War Memorial in Canada bears these words:
They shall not grow old as we who 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.
Unfortunately, politicians and military leaders (and in some cases religious leaders) worldwide seem to have forgotten, because so many of them want to rule their country, another\'s country, or even the world, and every day that passes sees more fatalities, more wounded, more collateral damage.
As the 87th Anniversary of the World War I Armistice nears, let us remember all of those who have given their lives so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today. Let us show our service men and women, those who have served and those who still serve, that we do remember the sacrifices, the lives lost, the returning wounded and those who still fight. The men and women still on active duty (whether you agree with the military actions or not) either on homesoil or foreign, still deserve respect, honour and our prayers that they may return home safe to their families and loved ones the world over.
[b]In Flanders Fields[/b]
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.
~~~
This week\'s theme is Lest We Forget, a tribute to those who have fallen.
Googled images are permitted for this theme. Please give credit for any images you use which you did not make yourself, and for any text which you did not write yourself.
A phrase utilized by Rudyard Kipling in his 1887 poem Recessional has become the international slogan of Remberance Day: Lest We Forget. In Canada, another term came into use, one referring to the nation\'s war memorials: We Will Remember Them. Every War Memorial in Canada bears these words:
They shall not grow old as we who 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.
Unfortunately, politicians and military leaders (and in some cases religious leaders) worldwide seem to have forgotten, because so many of them want to rule their country, another\'s country, or even the world, and every day that passes sees more fatalities, more wounded, more collateral damage.
As the 87th Anniversary of the World War I Armistice nears, let us remember all of those who have given their lives so that we may enjoy the freedoms we have today. Let us show our service men and women, those who have served and those who still serve, that we do remember the sacrifices, the lives lost, the returning wounded and those who still fight. The men and women still on active duty (whether you agree with the military actions or not) either on homesoil or foreign, still deserve respect, honour and our prayers that they may return home safe to their families and loved ones the world over.
[b]In Flanders Fields[/b]
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.
~~~
This week\'s theme is Lest We Forget, a tribute to those who have fallen.
Googled images are permitted for this theme. Please give credit for any images you use which you did not make yourself, and for any text which you did not write yourself.