Lest we forget

[Ford Prefect]

If you live in the U.S. and you watch any Canadian television you may note that all the personalities, news readers, sports commentators, politicians etc. are wearing a small red plastic flower somewhere on their clothing. If you live in Canada you know that poppy well as each year people don them in early November and wear them until 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month when, after a two minute silence they are removed and if you can you place them on the cenotaph of your town. Every town has a cenotaph, a memorial not to the glory of victory but to the fallen who sacrificed their lives for us. And each cenotaph bears the names of the men of that town that fell in battle. Small towns with tens of names engraved in stone, each name a tragedy.
In 1914 Canada was a country of 8 million people. 600,000 of the young and the brave went to fight in Europe. 67,000 did not return and three times that many came back bearing scars of battle. In 1939 Canada was a country of 11 million, again over half a million men and women went over to fight for their country and the countries of their ancestors. This time 42,000 did not return. More have died in Korea and now in Afghanistan.
Each year the message is the same. Do not forget them! Do not let the memory of their sacrifice fade or it will have been in vain.
We wear the poppy. Lest we forget.

[dissent]

Amen, amen. Never forget!


Parents, teach your children.