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Remembrance Day

This Sunday marks Veterans Day, though I prefer the Remembrance Day term used in the United Kingdom and Canada, as it makes clear this should be a day to solemnly remember and honor those who have defended the nation: the fallen, the wounded and those who survived the test of fire and battle.

By the way, you don't do that by going to a Veterans Day sale, an abomination I can remember my father (who served in the Army Air Corps during World War II) railing about in 1957.

So here are some suggestions on how to remember on this Veterans and Remembrance Day.

A Moment of Silence

Remembrance Day stems from the end of World War I, which occurred at the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day in 1918 -- the first time the guns of war were silenced in four years -- and is still honored with a minute of silence in the United Kingdom and Canada.

I can still remember the poignant silences of Veterans Day ceremonies of my youth with my father -- one minute in which the world stopped, so we could hear the march of the fallen.

That moment of silence seems to have disappeared in our celebration of Veterans Day, so let's reclaim it once again from the cacophony of boomboxes, car stereos, 110-channel televisions and iPods.

Turn off the noise, stand at attention at the appointed minute and hour Sunday, and join me in 60 seconds of silent honor.

We could start a trend.

Wear a Poppy

This tradition also goes back to World War I. In the ravaged battlefields of France and Belgium, wild poppies sprouted amid the death and destruction. Ever since, poppies have been a symbol of sacrifice, worn to remember those who paid the ultimate price.

The VFW will sell cloth poppies this weekend, with funds from the sales going to aid disabled and hospitalized veterans. Buy one and then wear it in your lapel. Yeah, it*s hokey, but it still packs a lot of symbolism.

"In Flanders Fields"

The connection between poppies and sacrifice was marked by the poem "In Flanders Fields," written in 1915 by Canadian Army surgeon Lt. Col. John McCrae.

Here it is:

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.

Check out Some Veterans Poetry

If you are in Washington this weekend, definitely check out the veterans poetry slam hosted by, among others, my Marine buddy Mike McDonnell and his pals in the Memorial Day Writers Project.

You can find them (and me) in a tent located on the east side of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, just off Constitution Avenue. The readings are from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and all are welcome to participate. I'll have with me the first poetry I have written since I was 14.

Real men can rhyme.

Make Your Own Honor Roll

Take some time to compile a list of veterans, write it down, and then after the moment of silence, recite their names with fond remembrance.

Here's my list:

• Walter Brewin
  Army Air Corps
  WW II
  The Philippines and Okinawa
• William Suess
  (My father in-law)
  WW II
  U.S. Navy
  Tin Can Sailor
  Atlantic and Pacific
• Marine Maj. Cornelius Herbert Ram
  The best company commander I ever had
  Vietnam, Jan. 10, 1971
• Lewis B. Puller Jr.
  Who showed me grace
  In the basement of the Pentagon.
  

COMMENTS

• I live in Kansas City, where we have the honor of having the WWI memorial in our city. One of the most moving exhibits to me is, as you enter, you walk accross a glass bridge, and below your feet, is a field of red poppies. I proudly bought and wore my poppy all weekend. Nothing is hokey that honors those who serve, or are serving. My Honor roll Mike Sullivan, USN 1955-59 Noel Nuessle, US Army, 1950-54 Stephen Sullivan, USAF, 1982-2007 Faisel Haisan, USMC, 2004-present, currently in Afghanastan. SHelly Posted November 13, 2007 9:56 AM
• In sixth grade, our teacher had us memorize "In Flanders Fields" It has remained one of my favorite poems and a few years ago I had the opportunity to visit Flanders Fields while visting with my brother who had just retired from the USMC at NATO so your article is especially meaningful for me. We all owe our nation's veterans our deepest respect and gratitude for giving us the freedoms and blessings so easily taken for granted. I would just like to take a moment to thank all the veterans reading this for their service. Carole Lieber Posted November 12, 2007 12:15 PM
• I attend the ceremony at Arlington each year. This year it was standing room only. I think that says something. The people seated in front of me were from Illinois, beside me, Floridia and California, and behind me, Kansas. There isn't anywhere better! We in the US have a Memorial day and a Veterans day, I like that it's a time to remember EVERY Veteran...those that didn't return and those of us that did, or maybe just fought the cold war and didn't have the opportunity to wear a combat patch! terri Posted November 12, 2007 7:44 AM