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.



The first line of the final stanza has often been omitted, as many feel it promotes further violence, when the tone of Remembrance/Veterans (nee Armistice) Day is one of reflection; further since the original name denotes a cessation of hostility.
Montreal's dressing room is famous for having "To you from failing hands we throw/The torch; be yours to hold it high."

A quick mention to my Grandfather, a minesweeper in WWII (USN);
My father, Petty Officer Second Class during the Vietnam era (USN);
My cousin, a medical corpsman (USN);
My uncle, who served on the USS Saratoga and witnessed the USS Liberty incident(USN);
And another uncle, who was wounded in Vietnam (US Army).