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[elvislee]

Only four survivors of the Great War now, three of whom made it to the Remembrance Day Parade at the Cenotaph in London.

Bill Stone 108 years old
Harry Patch 110 years old (Fought in the Battle of Passiondale)
Harry Allingham 112 years old

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables at home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

 
Nige

Thanks Nige...Sometimes we Americans get caught up in our own losses and forget the very same bravery and courage of our brothers and sisters over the great pond who fought and died valiantly for the same freedoms...Salute!

[Talon]

Flanders Field, which the poem was written about is in Belgium, I assume that there are solders from many countries buried there, but I don't know for sure. We should always remember those that fight for freedom what ever country they came from.

[BalDeagle]

Thanks Nige...Sometimes we Americans get caught up in our own losses and forget the very same bravery and courage of our brothers and sisters over the great pond who fought and died valiantly for the same freedoms...Salute!

The statistics for casualties were horrendous.

Allied Powers 

Countries Total    Mobilized   Killed & Died   Wounded Prisoners   Missing     Total Casualties   % of Mobilized Powers             
Russia              12,000,000   1,700,000         4,950,000          2,500,000       9,150,000               76.3
France               8,410,000   1,357,800         4,266,000             537,000       6,160,800               76.3
British Empire       8,904,467     908,371         2,090,212             191,652       3,190,235               35.8
Italy                  5,615,000      650,000            947,000            600,000       2,197,000               39.1
United States      4,355,000      126,000            234,300               4,500          364,800                8.2
Japan                    800,000           300                  907                     3             1,210                0.2
Romania                 750,000     335,706            120,000              80,000          535,706              71.4
Serbia                   707,343       45,000            133,148            152,958           331,106              46.8
Belgium                 267,000       13,716              44,686              34,659            93,061              34.9
Greece                  230,000        5,000              21,000                1,000            17,000              11.7
Portugal                100,000         7,222              13,751              12,318            33,291              33.3
Montenegro             50,000         3,000              10,000               7,000            20,000              40.0
Total                42,188,810   5,152,115         12,831,004         4,121,090       22,104,209             52.3

Central Powers             

Germany            11,000,000   1,773,700           4,216,058        1,152,800         7,142,558              64.9
Austria-Hungary    7,800,000   1,200,000           3,620,000        2,200,000         7,020,000              90.0
Turkey                 2,850,000     325,000              400,000          250,000            975,000              34.2
Bulgaria                1,200,000      87,500              152,390            27,029            266,919              22.2
Total                  22,850,000  3,386,200           8,388,448        3,629,829        15,404,477              67.4

Grand Total         65,038,810   8,538,315         21,219,452        7,750,919        37,508,686              57.6


Those last Grand Total figures really make you think.

Nige

[Jbbrown73]

Veterans Day is very special to me. I am the only child of a Vietnam Veteran who was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam during the ugliest time period 1968-1969.  My father was a combat engineer for the 1st cav airborne. He is a small guy, so his job was to follow the tunnel rats down and blow them up, also blow down trees for landing zones.  He repelled from Hueys into the areas where the LZ's were to be made.  Often into unknown situations.  In the early 90's he was diagnosed with PTSD.  He never dealt with Vietnam, until he was forced to begin going to the VA for medical treatment after his job loss when the coal mine he worked at for over 20 years shut down.  The 1st meeting with a councelor there told him just by looking at his records of where he was and what he did he should've been getting disabled vet benefits since he came back.

He was diagnosed and received 100% ptsd disability within 2 years of the 1st time he went to the VA.  He has continued the counceling ever since, that's now been about 15 years.  Now he is on a lung transplant list, and is on oxygen all of the time.  Between smoking, coal mining and god only knows what exposures he had in 'nam, his lungs are in very bad shape. 

He always said he would go again before he would ever let me go to war.  For me to have joined the military would've killed him.  He is my hero.

[BalDeagle]

Veterans Day is very special to me. I am the only child of a Vietnam Veteran who was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam during the ugliest time period 1968-1969.  My father was a combat engineer for the 1st cav airborne. He is a small guy, so his job was to follow the tunnel rats down and blow them up, also blow down trees for landing zones.  He repelled from Hueys into the areas where the LZ's were to be made.  Often into unknown situations.  In the early 90's he was diagnosed with PTSD.  He never dealt with Vietnam, until he was forced to begin going to the VA for medical treatment after his job loss when the coal mine he worked at for over 20 years shut down.  The 1st meeting with a councelor there told him just by looking at his records of where he was and what he did he should've been getting disabled vet benefits since he came back.

He was diagnosed and received 100% ptsd disability within 2 years of the 1st time he went to the VA.  He has continued the counceling ever since, that's now been about 15 years.  Now he is on a lung transplant list, and is on oxygen all of the time.  Between smoking, coal mining and god only knows what exposures he had in 'nam, his lungs are in very bad shape. 

He always said he would go again before he would ever let me go to war.  For me to have joined the military would've killed him.  He is my hero.

We salute him jb.

Nige

[JMS]

Veterans Day is very special to me. I am the only child of a Vietnam Veteran who was drafted into the Army and served in Vietnam during the ugliest time period 1968-1969.  My father was a combat engineer for the 1st cav airborne. He is a small guy, so his job was to follow the tunnel rats down and blow them up, also blow down trees for landing zones.  He repelled from Hueys into the areas where the LZ's were to be made.  Often into unknown situations.  In the early 90's he was diagnosed with PTSD.  He never dealt with Vietnam, until he was forced to begin going to the VA for medical treatment after his job loss when the coal mine he worked at for over 20 years shut down.  The 1st meeting with a councelor there told him just by looking at his records of where he was and what he did he should've been getting disabled vet benefits since he came back.

He was diagnosed and received 100% ptsd disability within 2 years of the 1st time he went to the VA.  He has continued the counceling ever since, that's now been about 15 years.  Now he is on a lung transplant list, and is on oxygen all of the time.  Between smoking, coal mining and god only knows what exposures he had in 'nam, his lungs are in very bad shape. 

He always said he would go again before he would ever let me go to war.  For me to have joined the military would've killed him.  He is my hero.

I know exactly where your father is comming from

I was diagnosed with PTSD in early 2007.... I found out very quickly that the sooner you deal with it the better off you are.
I spent 21 years of my life and went to war several times both in 91 and now in Iraq and Afghanistan (and my story is not uncommon).

I came back from Iraq in 91 looked at my son (he was only 7) and told him that he will never join. I came back in 2004 from Iraq and told my son again.
the same after Afghanistan. I just saw to many young kids die... 

I told him that I had served enough for both of us, and it is someone else has to step up now.

I pray for your father, and tell him I said thank you for his service, we appreciate the service of those before us because we would not even have the opportunity with out him...

god bless.

[Jbbrown73]

I know exactly where your father is comming from

I was diagnosed with PTSD in early 2007.... I found out very quickly that the sooner you deal with it the better off you are.
I spent 21 years of my life and went to war several times both in 91 and now in Iraq and Afghanistan (and my story is not uncommon).

I came back from Iraq in 91 looked at my son (he was only 7) and told him that he will never join. I came back in 2004 from Iraq and told my son again.
the same after Afghanistan. I just saw to many young kids die... 

I told him that I had served enough for both of us, and it is someone else has to step up now.

I pray for your father, and tell him I said thank you for his service, we appreciate the service of those before us because we would not even have the opportunity with out him...

god bless.

Thank you, and best of luck to you.  And thank you so much for all you do.

[AZSSE]

It took me years and years before I didn't feel guilty about coming back from Viet Nam when so many of my fellow Marines that were better than me didn't. The good truly die young. God bless all of the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live in the greatest country on earth in freedom!!!