They shall grow not old as we that are left grow oldIn 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 sunset 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.Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian ArmyFor the Fallen
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.Laurence Binyon (1869–1943)
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning
We will remember them.
Lest We Forget.
To read more about Australia's participation in war and peacekeeping, please visit the Australian War Memorial site.
Thank you to everyone who carries the torch, and you who are showing support of our soldiers by sending them parcels.
6 comments:
I sent off four parcels today and it made me feel pretty damn good!
Better yet, the woman at the P/O knew exactly what they were all about - didn't even blink. Very simple process.
Well done, Kate!
Even if you hear nothing, you know that four people, and maybe even more, will get a nice surprise with the arrival of your parcels.
The best reward is a "thank you" from a stranger whose day you have brightened.
Good for you Kate, Myself and the family Jugulum have sent a few now and the occasional 'thank you' is a thrill, but even when there is no reply it's nice to let our troops overseas know people still support them.
:)
The storeman and I were out in the warehouse this morning and observed the minute's silence. I have never known him to say a word about the troops, but as it was starting we had a guy come through the deliveries entrance making a bit of a racket. The storeman silenced him with a gesture.
I added my address at the end of the notes just in case they wanted to reply, but you're right, just knowing that they'll receive the parcels is enough.
Hi Kate
Capt Graham Palmer, Welfare Officer from 6RAR, visited the local primary school this week to say thank you to the students. (The RSL and I sent a stack of parcels in late September to Afganistan and East Timor, many of them had letters in them, and there was also a truck which took boxes of goodies direct from the local shop owners to 6RAR to be sent over to Afghanistan to the troops.)
He explained that these days many of the younger generation who are soldiers don't write letters. They'll email, phone or SMS, and many of them are not in an environment conducive to writing to someone.
He presented the school captains with a framed certificate from the Regiment, thanking the school for its contributions (the school wrote all those letters to the soldiers). He showed a couple of DVDs of Afghanistan and brought two soldiers and a Bushmaster with him. After the presentation the students and some of the teachers delighted in climbing all over and in the Bushmaster.
I couldn't go there because of work commitments. Captain Palmer told everyone how much the parcels and the letters, particularly those letters from the children, helped to raise morale - just knowing that people at home, ordinary people who have no connection with them, care enough to send parcels, and are interested in what they do.
It was a great day for the children. They hadn't heard from Afghanistan, but most of the students who had parcels/letters sent to East Timor received replies.
If you have an email address include that in correspondence, you may hear from the recipient. I know of people who have received a telephone call to say thanks, they've got the number from the address on the parcel!
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