SOUTHWEST ASIA -- In Flanders Fields the poppies blow, between the crosses row on row
These lines from Canadian Army Lt. Col. John McCrae’s famous poem, “In Flanders Fields,” are synonymous with Remembrance Day in Canada. For the Canadian Armed Forces currently deployed in support of Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, those words and the meaning behind it resonate even louder.
Every year on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, Canadian Armed Forces take time to honor all those who served and especially those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
For days leading up to Remembrance Day, Canadian service members pin a poppy flower to their uniform. The poppy symbol gained popularity following the publication of the poem which describes poppies growing in Flanders Fields atop the graves of fallen soldiers.
A Canadian Armed Forces captain currently serving on his first deployment has found new meaning for Remembrance Day and the poppy.
“It feels a bit surreal. I’ve always made sure I had a poppy for Remembrance Day, but now that I’m wearing the poppy on my uniform, I feel like I’m part of it,” he said.
“Remembrance Day is a time for me to also think about military families,” the captain said. “Now that I have a family of my own, I find myself thinking about the husbands, wives and children back home and the sacrifices they make while we’re away. The poppy I wear is as much for my wife as it is for my fellow soldiers.”
The poppy symbol gained popularity following the publication of the poem “In Flanders Fields” penned by Canadian Army Lt. Col. John McCrae, which describes poppies growing in Flanders Fields atop the graves of fallen soldiers.
A Canadian Armed Forces captain currently serving on his first deployment has found new meaning for Remembrance Day and the poppy.
“It feels a bit surreal. I’ve always made sure I had a poppy for Remembrance Day. But now that I’m wearing the poppy on my uniform, I feel like I’m part of it,” he said.
“Remembrance Day is a time for me to also think about military families,” the captain said. “Now that I have a family of my own, I find myself thinking about the husbands, wives and children back home and about the sacrifices they make while we’re away from home. The poppy is as much for my wife as it is for my fellow soldiers.”