Hi Everyone. This Wednesday night I hope you will forgive me for doing something different.
I don't think there are any of you who are not aware of the fact that it's Veteran's Day here in the US. In the UK it's Remembrance Day – commonly known as Poppy Day.
My father served in World War II. He joined the army at 17 years old; a young chubby, fresh-faced kid – all dressed up in his uniform, smiling and proud. By the age of 20 he was fighting England's war – and his own demons – in the jungles of Burma, where he spent the next 4 and a half years. My mother gave up her wish to become a nurse in order to fight the battle on the home front, becoming a WREN and also working in the steel factories to make sure that the war continued. When my father returned to the shores of blighty, he was a thin, drawn man who never really recovered from what he had experienced.
On Poppy Day every year, my father made sure that he remembered his fallen comrades – and a brother – by wearing a poppy and laying a wreath on a local cenotaph. So tonight's post is in memory of my father and all those who have served – and are serving.
Jaydee
One Response
Bless all the parents and men and women of that generation who sacrificed so many dreams, aspirations and lives for a cause or people they believed in. Your lovely post brought tears to my eyes. I’ve always loved that English Remebrance Day tradition that unlike the hoopla here in the States is quiet and understated and that with fields of poppies worn on so many chests creates a quiet wave of color and pride. And the Cenotaphs that are at the center of many a village and stand in remberance for all the following generations. How blessed we as Americans have been to see so little of Wars destruction touch our shores though in common with other countries so many individuals have gone out to meet it and have crashed upon its terrible tide and been lost.
Remembering with you and honoring your families sacrifices – Jean