Veteran's Day 2009

The Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month....

It was the end of WWI - 1918 - we had fought the War to End All Wars.

Armistice Day, Remembrance Day, Poppy Day.

The Red Poppies grew every where the land had been disturbed
at the graves of the fallen, at the trenches, in the tire and tread tracks.
France was ablaze with the red poppies each spring.
Now they are a symbol of remembrance.

Remember them we should,
Remember them we must,
Thank them, always.

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IT IS THE SOLDIER

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

-Charles M Province, US Army