I was thinking today...of the wars of yesteryears. When my grandfather and great-grandfather before him and many others fought in the Great Wars. Fought for our freedom. Fought for the peace we have today. The ground was soaked with the blood of thousands of my countrymen. World War 1 would not have be won if our men had not fought. As it was said of the
Canadians on Vimy Ridge. "The French could not take it, the British could not take it, but you Canadians were such fools that you didn't know when a place couldn't be taken." So the "fools" took it and paid the price. Over 3500 Canadians were slain in that battle. But they took the ridge and turned the tide of the war.
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.
by Major John McCrae
They were
brave, they were men of courage. And back on the homeshore thousands of mothers, sisters, wives and sweethearts endured the agony of not knowing if they would ever see their men again. They were women of courage. I know my country wasn't the only one fighting and we couldn't have done it without the help of the allies. But for now I'm talking about my country. :)
"Teach them it must be lived for as well as died for, else the price paid for it will have been given for nought." Teach it to your children what they fought and died for. Pass it on to the generations that follow of the price that was paid so that they could live today.
And yet another great War is being fought today. A greater war. A war fought within the breast of every person that walks this earth. A silent war. And yet one of greater consequence. The fight between good and evil. Who will be victor? Who will claim the prize? Who will be defeated? The battle cry is sounding. Will you hold the fort? Will the line hold? Will it be unbroken? Will you gain the victory on the side of right? If God be for us, who can be against us? Do not loose courage, hold your ground, do not give up. The fight is always hardest just before victory. Keep the faith my brother, my sister, keep faith.
And so we remember...