In Remembrance Of Our Dead And Living

In Flanders Fields

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.

On this day that we have set aside, to honor our fallen comrades, remember the sacrifices that were and are still being made today. Remember the soldier sitting in 120 degree weather, battling the generators, desperately trying to keep cool. Remember him/her as he/she lays in bed at night dreaming of their loved one's left behind. Remember them, as they are awakened in the middle of the night by the whistling of a round attacking them under the cover of darkness. Remember them, as they eat the same food, day in, day out. Remember them, as they weep for their fallen comrades. Remember them, for these are YOUR Sons and Daughters America.

They continue to sacrifice their freedom on a daily basis, so that you may sit here FREE.

I have made my stance on our presence in Iraq very clear in previous posts, but that does not for one minute mean that I do not stand behind our troops. But, I still believe drastic changes should be made there.

As our loved one's sit thousand of miles away, waiting for that day to come home, our voices are the ones that need to be heard here on the home front. OUR voices, crying for change, for time lines, goals, etc are the ones that should be ringing loud and clear across this land.

Where is your voice?

American Revolution (1775-1783)

Battle Deaths ..................................................4,435

Last Veteran, Daniel F. Bakeman, died 4/5/1869, age 109

War of 1812 (1812-1815)

Battle Deaths..................................................2,260

Last Veteran, Hiram Cronk, died 5/13/05, age 105

Indian Wars (approx. 1817-1898)

Battle Deaths...................................................1,000

Last Veteran, Fredrak Fraske, died 6/18/73, age 101

Mexican War (1846-1848)

Battle Deaths...................................................1,733

Last Veteran, Owen Thomas Edgar, died 9/3/29, age 98

Civil War (1861-1865)

Battle Deaths (Union)....................................140,414

Battle Deaths (Confederate).............................74,524

Last Union Veteran, Albert Woolson, died 8/2/56, age 109

Last Confederate Veteran, John Salling, died 3/16/58, age 112

Spanish-American War (1898-1902)

Battle Deaths......................................................385

Last veteran, Nathan E. Cook, died 9/10/92, age 106

World War I (1917-1918)

Battle Deaths.................................................53,402

World War II (1941-1945)

Battle Deaths................................................291,557

Korean War (1950-1953)

Battle Deaths.................................................33,741

Vietnam War (1964-1975)

Battle Deaths.................................................47,424

Desert Shield/Desert Storm (1990-1991)

Battle Deaths......................................................147

Global War on Terror (as of Sept. 30, 2006)

Battle Deaths...................................................2,333