Honour

We honour you

 Who gave the greatest sacrifice

To protect kin and country

On distance shore

We honour

The sacrifices you made

The time you gave

The promises you cannot now keep

For mistakes made by other troops 

Have taken your life

We shall not condemn

Though it grieves us so
When the people
We help 
Blame

For you all fight

To stop the evil

But our Canadian life

Snuffed out too soon

Shall not be forgotten

We honour you

For  terrorism

Touches us all

We believe in your fight

Thank you

 ©Sheilagh Lee  March 7, 2015

RIP Sgt. Andrew Joseph Doiron

We Remember

They fought hard and long

To achieve those freedoms

Fighting and killing others

That hurt their very souls

They fought to save their countries

From tyranny and evil intent

They gave up their home lives

Their families and soil

To fight for kin and country

To save the world

They gave much

Now we revere them

Remember them

Immortalize them

We shall not forget

Their sacrifice

From sun up

To sundown

Each day we remember

Their forfeit

And honour their lives 

©Sheilagh Lee November 11, 2014

Family

Though the sun grows cold

And the earth welcomes you

We shall no forget your sacrifice

Your bravery, your valour

Will be remembered

Your gentle welcoming smile

Your glowing good nature

Shall not be forgotten

But revered and retained

In the memories and hearts

Of the nation

We will tell stories

In history books of you

The remembrance of

A life taken too soon

A child now without a father

We shall gather you both

To our hearts and minds

For you are our family

Canadian soldier, brave and strong

Our love pours out for you.

©Sheilagh Lee October 28, 2014

They gave their lives for their country and we are indebted to them for their bravery and valour.

Tears for our soldiers

Tears fall from my eyes 

My heart full

I grieve for you

You represented Canada

Your head held high

You guarded against

Those who sought to harm

Your life you gave

 Freely to protect

Our way of life

You are our heroes

We can but offer

Our prayers and tears

That you are lost to us

Taken by evil

They think we will lay down

We will not succumb

We will not be silenced

Or dismissed

We will fight for our rights

That women and men 

Fought hard for

We are Canadian

Strong and free

We love our country

We stand on guard for thee.

As you did with your lives for us

We shall not forget

Nor will we slumber

But guard against those

Who took your lives

So your sacrifice

Shall not be in vain.

©Sheilagh Lee October 22, 2014 

RIP Cpl Nathan Cirrillo at the War Memorial and the soldier Warrant officer, Patrice Vincent who was murdered by the driver of a car.
They gave their lives for their country and we are indebted to them for their bravery and valour.

For love of Country- A Remembrance Day Poem

 

For love of Country

For love of country

They gave their time

Their love and their lives

It took the best of families’ sons

And daughters who gave their all

Working overseas and in the wartime plants

Some left the country which they loved

                                           As soldiers they fought so bravely

                                           In foxholes and on fields they suffered 

                                           Giving so freely, for they sought to save

                                           Us from madmen who wanted all

                                           Countries to bow to them

                                           And their mistaken ideals

                                           They put aside misgivings and fought on

Their families suffered dearly

Without them by their sides                           

Missing time as children

Grew without a parent by their side

Parents had a hole in hearts

Where children should abide

When soldiers came to the door

To tell them of their loss

So we set aside a day in November

Every single year to remember

These brave souls who died for us

Fought for us, gave their time for us

But one day is not enough

For their sacrifice so dear

So we remember each day of the year

From the rising of the sun

Until the setting of the sun

We will remember

And celebrate their lives

And thank them for our freedom

That reigns because they fought for us.

©Sheilagh Lee November 9, 2013

Sacrifice

Three Word Wednesday-Sacrifice 

Prompts:   

Amplify, verb: Increase the volume of (sound), esp. using an amplifier; increase the amplitude of (an electrical signal or other oscillation); cause to become more marked or intense; enlarge upon or add detail to (a story or statement).

Criticize, verb: Indicate the faults of (someone or something) in a disapproving way.

Moan, noun: A long, low sound made by a person expressing physical or mental suffering or sexual pleasure; a complaint that is perceived as trivial and not taken seriously by others; verb: make a long, low sound expressing physical or mental suffering or sexual pleasure; (of a thing) make a sound resembling this.

       Recently a number of students at the University of Ottawa decided to wear a white poppy for Remembrance Day which takes place on November 11 each year. Traditional a red and with a green or black centred poppy has been worn since 1920 to commemorate soldiers who died and remember their sacrifice for their country. The Royal Canadian Legion in Canada takes funds from the sale of these lapel (red) poppies to...

.Assist any person (and their dependants) who is serving (or who has honourably served) in the Canadian Forces and are in need of assistance.

.Legion Veterans Transition Program (at UBC): a relief & recovery program for trauma-related stress from military service.

.Housing for homeless veterans, such as Cockrell House in Victoria

.Disaster relief when declared by governments.

At least now they are starting to realize the hurt they've caused and will not hand out white poppies at Remembrance ceremonies. I hope they now understand that red poppies are to remember the sacrifice and help veterans not glorify war.

       This is my response to those white poppy students.

Sacrifice

                                                        

The drumbeat sounds

 It echoes in their minds   

Amplified in time and space

Of carnage and blood, soiled ground

Their comrades’ lives’ spilled

They feel forgotten by today’s youth

Who talk of peace?

And moan of glorifying war

White poppies at their breasts.

And if they dare to speak

The men who fought so hard to

Gain that peace

They’re criticized and told that poppies

Red with a green or black centre

Denote celebrating war

Their ignorance does astound

Poppies are worn for remembrance

Of lives lost and sacrifice made

Not to glorify war

But to recall

How hard the forfeit

Those soldiers made

To honour

And remember the ones

Who brought our peace

So that we never forget their sacrifice.
Long may they be remembered

©Sheilagh Lee November 6, 2013

Three Word Wednesday- A Debt Unpaid

Prompts: Compromise; noun: An agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions; a middle state between conflicting opinions or actions reached by mutual concession or modification; verb: [no obj.] settle a dispute by mutual concession; [with obj.] weaken (a reputation or principle) by accepting standards that are lower than is desirable.

Decision; noun: A conclusion or resolution reached after consideration; the action or process of deciding something or of resolving a question; the ability or tendency to make decisions quickly.

Forward; adverb: Toward the front; in the direction that one is facing or traveling; onward so as to make progress; toward a successful conclusion; toward the future; ahead in time; adjective: directed or facing toward the front or the direction that one is facing or traveling; noun: An attacking player in basketball, hockey, or other sports; verb: Send (a letter or e-mail) on to a further destination.

A Debt Unpaid

Your eyes bright, shiny and new

You heard the cry, the battle song

The proud, the brave, the few

The trip was quick, the journey long

As the battle raged on, and on

You endured much and became wan

You suffered weather, land, friend, and foe

Still you moved forward, a tough battle to hoe

Your decisions made by faceless men

No compromise did they send

You did your duty and sought to win the war

As all around you the casualties began to soar

Many soldiers paid, a considerable sum

That we might breathe the air of freedom

You laid down your young lives

So we could have no battle and strife

We honour you because you fought

For the peace we sought

Your country owes you greatly

We should honour you most stately

Your sacrifice we can never repay

So we honour you this and everyday

We remember, let the memory never fade
That we owe a debt, never ever repaid.

©Sheilagh Lee November 7, 2012