A Time of Memorial

Tomorrow is going to be Tuesday November 11th. It is not only Veterans Day for the United States,  it is also Memorial Day for Canada. November 11th is also the recorded final day of World War 1 (WW1).  This year, 2014, also marks the 100 year anniversary of the start of WW1. So tomorrow is going to be a big day, not just here, but mostly likely all over Europe as well. Also, today was the 239th birthday for the U.S. Marine Corps. Naturally, having all of this happen at the same time has gotten me thinking over a few things.

Having lived in San Diego for almost half of my lifespan, you tend to meet a lot of military personnel. (For those of you who don't know, San Diego hosts a very large Navy and Marine base. It also has a good Air Force base as well.) You meet and see people who are in the military almost everywhere you go when in San Diego. Many have come and gone through our church as well and it has been an honor to know those people. I also meet a lot of military personnel outside of San Diego, especially on airplanes and airports. I recently met a young man in our church, in Quebec City, who is in the Canadian Military. (The first Canadian Military person I have ever met!) My point is that there are more people serving, or have served, for our countries than we may know. But we take them for granted and forget to thank them regularly for their service. I have sadly only known a handful of military men on a personal level. Even when hearing their stories, I cannot imagine what they have gone through day in and day out, especially when they have been in battles over seas. Many of those men and women have seen horrible things that most of us will never see, and yet they continue to serve and some insist on returning to the fight. I probably will never understand that sense of loyalty, but I am so thankful for those men and women who have fought and who now fight for us every day.

My Dad and I share a love and interest for history. A couple months ago, he was watching a series on the History Channel about WW1. I watched it with him, when I had the time, and found it very interesting. Of course I was taught this piece of history in high school, but I haven't heard much about WW1 since, and thus my recollection of the facts was very small. Surprisingly, not a lot of movies have been made about the first World War. So to see an entire series on it with facts and actual photos and footage from that time was very interesting. It kind of baffles me to think that weapons such as poison gas, machine guns, submarines, warplanes, and tanks were first used in WW1. We are so used to the idea that these weapons are normal for any military now.  The use of trenches back then was certainly unique as well. That war really changed things drastically in terms of warfare. The sad thing is that many people thought that war would be "the war to end all wars." But things have only progressed from there.

Here in Canada, and in the UK, people wear a red poppy to remember those fallen and those who have served their country. (I honestly don't know why the U.S. doesn't have anything like that yet.) I have known that this is a common symbol for remembrance, but was never sure on its origin. So I looked it up. It comes from a poem, written by a soldier, during WW1. Apparently red poppies grew on a muddy field in Belgium that the Battle of Ypres was on which lasted two weeks. The field would turn to brown mud from all the activity and death, no other life seemed to live there. Until one day a man noticed red poppies blooming in the fields of death. He wrote the poem called "In Flanders Field" which later inspired a woman to use these poppies to remember the fallen soldiers. The tradition grew from there. Here is the poem:

In Flanders Field by John McCrae

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.

 

 

I hope that you will sincerely thank a soldier or a retired veteran the next time you see one. These 100 years, and more, have been full of many deaths and grievances. But because of the men who have fallen and because of those who have fought and still fight, both Canada and the United States can call themselves a free county. Don't take that for granted. Thank those men, and pray for them and their families. I hope that we will not only thank and honor these men and women once a year, but at every chance we get. They deserve to be remembered more than once.

 

So tomorrow, I will be wearing my red poppy. I wear it in respect and remembrance for those fallen in both the Canadian and U.S. militaries. I want to thank all the military personnel that I know: Your service is greatly known and appreciated. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

 

In Christ,

Jennifer