World War I Memorial
World War I ended 100 years ago. During the brutal, bloody war, thousands were killed in an area of France and Belgium called Flanders.
‘‘In Flanders Fields,’’ by John McCrae.
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.
116,000 Americans were killed in World War I. Now, after 100 years, there will finally be a memorial erected in D.C. for all the veterans of the Great War. It is about time, don’t you think? For the worst casualty of war is to be forgotten.
And that is just the way it is.