The American legion group my grandparents led in the city of Houston had me selling red poppies in a Weingarten's parking lot to people to help veterans of 2 world wars get by. I was 4 years old and people treated <s like royalty for supporting wounded veterans who were down and out.
Those red poppies were inspired by a Canadian soldier whose lovely poem people just called "poppies" was found on a piece of recycled paper found in a pocket on his dead body from a battle. I think the real name of the short poem was "Flander's Field" The national Auxilary of the American Legion sponsored the little red crape paper poppy sales all over the USA because of that Canadian officer's fight to the death near Flander's field where poppies grow on soldier's graves marked by crosses, row by row. It is likely the most loving words ever written to honor the fallen soldiers who fought together side ;y side to prot÷ct people fromtyrannical regiems like communism and other Hitlerian killalls.
No. Ive been to Canada several times. I never met finer people than our kind neighbors to the north. They are sensitive kind and caring people.
The poem is called "In Flanders Fields". I think every child who grew up in Canada can recite it from memory.
In Flanders Fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our graves,
While in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead.
Short days ago, we lived,
Saw dawn, felt sunsets glow
But 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 yee break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep
Though poppies grow in Flanders Fields.
That's from memory. It may not be 100% correct. I'm not sure of the line breaks, but we recited that poem every year in public school, and the Canadian Legion still sells poppies for to raise funds for veterans for Remembrance Day on November 11th.
These days, the veterans the Legion is raising money for, served in Afghanistan. The stretch of highway between CFB Trenton, where caskets were returned from Afghanistan to Toronto where they delivered to the families has been named the "Highway of Heros". Every time a casket came home, Canadians line the overpasses as the hearse passed below to pay tribute to our soldiers are they returned home.
I wish I could say that our government has kept their promises to our veterans. Neither the Conservatives nor the Liberals have come close to properly providing the resources needed for those living with permanent injuries or PTSD from Afghanistan - in some cases despite court orders to do so. This is a bi-partisan failure with equal blame for both parties.
Biden ended the crisis that 3 presidents didn`t have the balls to deal with.
