Memorial Day

U.S. Flag on the Colsac III Ferry
7/2/2016   dwm photo

It's the 'unofficial' start of summer.

It signifies or promises the end of the school year.

But Memorial Day is much more than that.  It is time to recognize those who paid the ultimate price for the freedom we enjoy each day.

Wars and conflicts have been fought since the start of history.  They started and sometimes settled disputes; acquired or lost land; freed or enslaved people.

On the land, on the sea, and in the air the men and women who fight and who fought deserve recognition.  In the middle of the picnics, baseball, and parties - it is appropriate to thank them for their service and sacrifice.

One of the most famous memorial poems now in the public domain was written during World War 1.

In Flanders Fields   John McCrea (1872-1918)

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.