Hi all,

My name is Peter-Jan Bosch, Reserve 1Lt of the Dutch Artillery. I served as a draftee in the early 90's. I still enjoy target shooting as a result.
In civilian life I am a Java J2EE developer for a British-Dutch IT company.

I joined this forum because I really missed (hop I did not overlook), in the Military Poems section, that marvellous poem by Canadian Army Lt Col John McCrae, MD (1872-191. It should definitively be listed, on top!

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.

Welcome. Try posting that poem in the quotes section.

Welcome man. Groetjes.

pebosch, welcome to the forums. I have always liked that famous poem. To this day the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and others sell poppies (Buddy Poppies) every year to raise money for their veterans assistance programs here in the US. People wear them proudly. They use the poppy because of that very poem.

http://www.vfw2408.org/buddy_poppy.htm

Made me think of Marlene Dietrich:

Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the flowers gone,
Long time ago
Where have all the flowers gone,
Young girls picked them every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn

Where have all the young girls gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the young girls gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the young girls gone,
gone to young men every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn

Where have all the young men gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the young men gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the young men gone,
gone to soldiers every one,
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn

Where have all the soldiers gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the soldiers gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the soldiers gone,
Gone to graveyards every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn

Where have all the graveyards gone,
Long time passing,
Where have all the graveyards gone,
Long time ago,
Where have all the graveyards gone,
Gone to flowers every one
When will they ever learn
When will they ever learn

Welcome to the forums pebosch.

I will certainly add that poem to the poems section of the site.

welcome to the forum, pebosch.

Welcome to the Forums, pebosch.

That poem is beautiful, and every time I hear it, I think about all those who died in the trenches and WWI.

Welcome to the forums. I read up on the poem and why it was written when I was younger. It has a deeper more symbolic than a lot of people realize.

greetings