The Armistice of 1918 that ended World War I was signed in a railway carriage in the Forest of Compiègne, France on November 11th, 1918. Fighting stopped at the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th Month in 1918. It took a while longer to settle on the terms that ended the great war. That was finalized on June 28th, 1919 with the The Treaty of Versailles.
We celebrate Veteran’s day on November 11th. The poppy has long been a symbol on Veteran’s day. Old rules stated to wear on the left side (over the heart), and sometimes have a leaf pointing at the eleven point on a clock.
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae wrote a poem “In Flanders field” after he saw poppies blooming in a battlefield. It made the poppy the symbol of remembrance of veterans. The poem used to be memorized in schools. I mentioned in earlier post that my Grandmother had to recite it in third grade. When she was 95, she wanted to memorize it again. She worked on it for about a week, and then proudly orated:
“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.“
I have several bibles that were given to family members when they joined the service. First is the bible given to my Father-in-law when he signed up to serve.
This was a bible given to my grandfather when he signed up for World War One. He enlisted to become a United States citizen after he was discharged.
My mom said her dad was very proud to be a veteran. Doubly so, because he (Albert Nelson) was born on November 11th, 1890. He was very excited every year for that day to roll around.
So Happy Birthday remembrance to him, and a heartfelt thank you to all veterans today. I have four brother-in-laws (Ricky, Terry, Phil, and Doug) that have served our country, and are still around. I appreciate the service of each one of them.
“Honor to the soldier and sailer everywhere who bravely bears his country’s cause” – Abraham Lincoln.
* from Inauguration speech of John F. Kennedy
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