The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 marked the end of World War I. For years we called it Armistice Day, and each year when the clock in every corner of the globe rang 11 am, everything stopped for two minutes. No one would forget. At work, at home, in subways and trolleys, in church, in palaces and hovels, everything stopped. Even in schools–it didn’t matter if you were a kindergartner or in university, you stood up and were silent. Poppies were everywhere. After the Korean War the US changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all the men and women who have served in the military. Poppies have become the symbol of both Veterans Day and Memorial Day (commemorating those who have died in the service our our country).

The red poppies remind us of the poppies found in Belgium and northern France, and were immortalized in Lt.-Col. John McCrae, MD, RCA’s 1915 poem “In Flanders Field” which he wrote after he presided at the funeral of a friend who died during the Second Battle of Ypres. (see poem below) After the War, thousands of disabled men came home, and in an effort to help support them and help in their occupational therapy, in 1921 the American Legion and it’s Auxiliaries began selling small red paper poppies which everyone wore their labels in remembrance. They are still worn today as a “thank you” for so many who have done so much for our country–though it currently seems to have become more of a day for sales than of gratitude.

After 9/11 there was a renewal in how Americans felt about the military. We hadn’t been attacked like that since Pearl Harbor, and it was a terrible wake-up call. We often thank members of the military for their service. And we do thank them!! They go places and do work to keep the country safe. But every now and then I had the uneasy feeling that words “thank you for your service” just don’t sound quite the right. I’ve struggled with that for years. Then I woke up on Veterans Day two years ago and heard Congressman Dan Crenshaw . . . on SNL of all things . . . make this quick monologue.

Dan Crenshaw and Pete Davidson on Saturday Night Live (NBC 11/11/2018)

“This is Veterans Day weekend, which means that it’s a good time for every American to connect with a veteran. Maybe say ‘Thanks for your service,’ but I would actually encourage you to say something else: Tell a veteran ‘never forget,’” . . . “When you say ‘never forget’ to a veteran, you are implying that as an American, you are in it with them, not separated by some imaginary barrier between civilians and veterans, but connected together as grateful fellow Americans. We’ll never forget the sacrifices made by veterans past and present.” Thank you Mr. Crenshaw! And to all of my students and friends who are veterans, Never Forget.

In Flanders Field, by Lt.Col John McCrea

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.