NMR - Why I Wear a Poppy

Today is Rememberance day. The day we remember those who fought for our
freedom and came home, for those who fought and will never come home and
for those who are still fighting so we may enjoy our freedom.

Today is a day that with each passing year becomes more important to
me. For those brave men and women who fought in the 1st & 2nd World Wars
I thank you. I thank you because if the Germans had succeeded I would
not be here. My family is from Scotland and my mum's family crossed the
ocean between the 2 wars and my dad after the second world war. For
those brave men and women who have answered the call to maintain freedom
through out the world against communism, tyranny and terror, thank you
just doesn't seem to be enough, but it is all I can offer.

This poem says it better than I ever could.

Ken Byars
Ottawa, Canada

VROC #2491
A Proud Veteran of the Canadian military

WHY WEAR A POPPY
By Don Crawford
“Please wear a poppy,” the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
“Lady”, said he, “may I have one?”
When she’d pinned it on he turned to say,
“Why do we wear a poppy today?”

The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, “This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free –
That’s why we were a poppy, you see.

“I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
And became a man – as you will, too.
“He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, ‘Goodbye,
I’ll be back soon, Mom, so please don’t cry.’

“But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.

“Till at last, at last, the war was won –
And that’s why we wear a poppy, son.”
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, “Thanks, lady, I’m glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
but your son – did he come back all right?”

A tear rolled down each faded cheek:
She shook her head, but didn’t speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you’d have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, is oft-delayed,
Though our freedom was bought – and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country’s call
That we, in peace, may see the sun.

Please wear a poppy, it says: “Well done.”

My dad volunteered for ww2. Luckily, he never left Canada. I can remember
being very sad when I was told that the father of some kids I was playing
with wasn't coming home.
Too bad the war to end all wars was just the end of the kind of war where
the 2 sides wore uniforms and the 2 armies shot at each other and not
innocent civilians and there was some sort of honour and code of ethics.
Now our soldiers in the middle east wear uniforms so the enemy knows who
they are but the enemy wears no uniform and is willing to die and take
civilians along with them. It seems the 2 sides are fighting 2 different
styles of war with different rules and for different reasons. How can you
fight an enemy who is driven by a fanatical faith, and faith means without
willingness to change one's mind or listen to reason.

It was only a few years ago that I learned Danny Boy wasn't a lover's lament
but a father saying goodbye to his son who was going off to battle. Now
every time I hear the song, it brings tears to my eyes.
Many thanks to those brave men. and in many cases ran forward to almost
certain death.
Wayne Jones
86 Venture

"Ken Byars" <servant DeleteThis @magma.ca> wrote in message
news:W96dnXe9j5aXm8vYnZ2dnUVZ_qWdnZ2d@magma.ca...
> Today is Rememberance day. The day we remember those who fought for our
> freedom and came home, for those who fought and will never come home and
> for those who are still fighting so we may enjoy our freedom.
>
> Today is a day that with each passing year becomes more important to me.
> For those brave men and women who fought in the 1st & 2nd World Wars I
> thank you. I thank you because if the Germans had succeeded I would not be
> here. My family is from Scotland and my mum's family crossed the ocean
> between the 2 wars and my dad after the second world war. For those brave
> men and women who have answered the call to maintain freedom through out
> the world against communism, tyranny and terror, thank you just doesn't
> seem to be enough, but it is all I can offer.
>
> This poem says it better than I ever could.
>
> Ken Byars
> Ottawa, Canada
>
> VROC #2491
> A Proud Veteran of the Canadian military
>
> WHY WEAR A POPPY
> By Don Crawford
> “Please wear a poppy,” the lady said
> And held one forth, but I shook my head.
> Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
> And her face was old and lined with care;
> But beneath the scars the years had made
> There remained a smile that refused to fade.
>
> A boy came whistling down the street,
> Bouncing along on care-free feet.
> His smile was full of joy and fun,
> “Lady”, said he, “may I have one?”
> When she’d pinned it on he turned to say,
> “Why do we wear a poppy today?”
>
> The lady smiled in her wistful way
> And answered, “This is Remembrance Day,
> And the poppy there is the symbol for
> The gallant men who died in war.
> And because they did, you and I are free –
> That’s why we were a poppy, you see.
>
> “I had a boy about your size,
> With golden hair and big blue eyes.
> He loved to play and jump and shout,
> Free as a bird he would race about.
> As the years went by he learned and grew
> And became a man – as you will, too.
> “He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
> But he seemed with us such a little while
> When war broke out and he went away.
> I still remember his face that day
> When he smiled at me and said, ‘Goodbye,
> I’ll be back soon, Mom, so please don’t cry.’
>
> “But the war went on and he had to stay,
> And all I could do was wait and pray.
> His letters told of the awful fight
> (I can see it still in my dreams at night),
> With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
> And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
>
> “Till at last, at last, the war was won –
> And that’s why we wear a poppy, son.”
> The small boy turned as if to go,
> Then said, “Thanks, lady, I’m glad to know.
> That sure did sound like an awful fight,
> but your son – did he come back all right?”
>
> A tear rolled down each faded cheek:
> She shook her head, but didn’t speak.
> I slunk away in a sort of shame,
> And if you were me you’d have done the same;
> For our thanks, in giving, is oft-delayed,
> Though our freedom was bought – and thousands paid!
>
> And so when we see a poppy worn,
> Let us reflect on the burden borne
> By those who gave their very all
> When asked to answer their country’s call
> That we, in peace, may see the sun.
>
> Please wear a poppy, it says: “Well done.”