Memorial Day

"Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o'er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Dream of battled fields no more.
Days of danger, nights of waking."
~Sir Walter Scott~

"It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace
only by preparing for war."
~John F. Kennedy~

"...the soldier above all other people prays for peace,
for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."
~General Douglas MacArthur~

"For those who fight for it, life has a special flavor
the protected will never know."
(Unknown defender of Khe Sanh in Vietnam)

"The noblest motive is the public good."
~Virgil~

"In Flanders Fields"

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 sunsets 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.

~Lt. Col. John McCrae~
(1872-1918)

Canadian physician, fought on the Western Front in 1914 then
was transferred to Medical Corps and assigned to a hospital in
France; died of pneumonia and meningitis on January 28, 1918.

"These heroes are dead. They died for liberty-they died for us.
They are at rest. They sleep in the land they made free, under
the flag they rendered stainless, under the solemn pines, the
sad hemlocks, the tearful willows, the embracing vines. They
sleep beneath the shadow of the clouds, careless alike of sunshine
or storm, each in the windowless palace of rest. Earth may run red
with other wars-they are at peace. In the midst of the battles,
in the roar of conflicts, they found the serenity of death."

~Author Unknown~

"Freedom--no word was ever spoken, that has held
out greater hope, demanded greater sacrifice, needed
to be nurtured, blessed more the giver, damned more its
destroyer or come closer to being God's will on earth.
And I think that's worth fighting for, if necessary."
~General Omar N. Bradley~

I Did Not Die

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars, that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

~Mary Frye~
(1942)

"Throughout the years, this poem has appeared in many places and
in many forms. The original was written in 1942 by Baltimorean,
Mary Frye on the back of a brown paper bag. Frye wrote the poem
for a friend whose mother had died in Germany; the daughter had
been unable to attend the funeral because of World War II."

"All quiet along the Potomac to-night,
No sound save the rush of the river,
While soft falls the dew on the face of the dead,-
The picket's off duty forever.

~Ethel Lynn Beers~
The Picket Guard, Stanza 6
September 30, 1861

"Your silent tents of green
We deck with fragrant flowers;
Yours has the suffering been,
The memory shall be ours."
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~
(American poet, 1807-1882)

"And they who for their country die
Shall fill an honored grave,
For glory lights the soldier's tomb,
And beauty weeps the brave."
~Joseph Rodman Drake~

Break the News to Mother

While the shot and shell were screaming on the battlefield,
The boys in blue were fighting their noble flag to shield;
Came a cry from their brave captain, "Look, boys! our flag is down;
Who'll volunteer to save it from disgrace?"
"I will," a young voice shouted, "I'll bring it back or die,"
Then sprang into the thickest of the fray,
Saved the flag but gave his young life; all for his country's sake.
They brought him back and softly heard him say:

"Just break the news to mother,
She knows how dear I love her,
And tell her not to wait for me,
For I'm not coming home;
Just say there is no other
Can take the place of mother;
Then kiss her dear, sweet lips for me,
And break the news to her."

From afar a noted general had witnessed the brave deed.
"Who saved our flag? Speak up lads; 'twas noble, brave, indeed!"
"There he lies, sir," said the captain, "he's sinking very fast,"
Then slowly turned away to hide a tear.
The general, in a moment, knelt down beside the boy;
Then gave a cry that touch'd all hearts that day.
"It's my son, my brave young hero; I thought you safe at home."
"Forgive me Father, for I ran away."

~Charles K. Harris~

RENDEZVOUS

I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with rustling shade,
And apple-blossoms fill the air-
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue days and fair.

It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath-
It may be I shall pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered hill,
When Spring comes round again this year
And the first meadow-flowers appear.

God knows 'twere better to be deep
Pillowed in silk and scented down,
Where love throbs out in blissful sleep,
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath,
Where hushed awakenings are dear...
But I've a rendezvous with Death
At midnight in some flaming town,
When Spring trips north again this year,
And to my pledged word am true,
I shall not fail that rendezvous.

~Alan Seeger~
(1886-1916)

"If we desire peace, one of the most powerful institutions of our rising
prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war."
~George Washington~

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer
soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis,
shrink from the service of his country; but he that
stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man
and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;
yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder
the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we
obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; 'tis dearness
only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows
how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would
be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as
Freedom should not be highly rated."

~Thomas Paine~

Our dead brothers still live for us and bid us think of life,
not death -- of life to which in their youth, they lent
the passion and glory of Spring. As I listen, the great
chorus of life and joy begins again, and amid the awful
orchestra of seen and unseen powers and destinies of good and evil,
our trumpets, sound once more a note of daring, hope, and will.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes~

This page was last updated on June 07, 2009

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