Day Ninety: Memorial Day

58 degrees in Chaumont, NY at 5:30am this morning.

Today is Memorial Day. Originally it was called Decoration Day and came about from the efforts of women decorating the graves of Civil War soldiers. The following poem was written by Canadian doctor & poet John McCrae (November 30, 1872 - January 28, 1918) while he was a field surgeon during World War I.

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 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.

These fellows are from American Legion Post 832 of Cape Vincent, NY. Today they will visit 14 cemetaries in the region and participate in two parades in honor of our countries war dead. In this photo they were at Cedar Grove Cemetary in Chaumont, NY, (across the street from my house). Thank you for remembering.
photos by Gary Walts