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.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae

In honor of remembrance day I wanted to take the time to write a little something about this important occasion. What better a way to pay tribute to so many who lost their lives than to post it on the internet where so many can see it. Last year I had the pleasure of accompanying one of my professors, along with the rest of the class, to Victoria park and participating in the remembrance day ceremony. I had not done this in the past and quickly realized how few actually showed up. It really makes you think, doesn't it? As historians I think this occasion is of great importance. Through our study we, perhaps more than the general public, recognize the hardships endured during war. Although we did not serve and simply can not even fathom enduring what many of these soldiers went through, I think we have almost a responsibility to help people recognize the importance of honoring those who died and served. From the perspective of this course I was curious to see what would come up if I typed in "Remembrance day" in Google. I was surprised to find that there are approx. 1,500,000 hits which include news articles, various books, as well as videos. I think the internet often proves very useful when it comes to times likes these. We can really involve ourselves and educate others on the importance of remembrance day. I think it would be interesting to see how creative we could be using the internet and various forms of digital media to commemorate these individuals.

Although I personally did not have anyone die in the war, or serve for that matter, I feel as though our lives are made possible, our freedom and liberty because of these individuals. To take the time and search remembrance day is a useful way to found out some interesting facts about this occasion as well as read some stories. As Historians it becomes our responsibility to be aware of these types of things and from a digital perspective it can become quite interesting.