Armistice Day -- never forget

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Ernst Osterham, myself, Callipygian Christensen and Kyle Beltran, assembled around 11:00 AM (continental Europe time) in No-Man's land--Riven Homewod arrived a bit later

A small group gathered in the No-Man's land area of the new WWI poet's sim to commemorate the end of the Great War and to remember those who gave their lives.

[2:06] Diogenes Kuhr: Thank you all for coming
[2:06] Diogenes Kuhr: In the 11th hour
[2:06] Diogenes Kuhr: on the 11th day
[2:06] Diogenes Kuhr: of the 11th month
[2:07] Diogenes Kuhr: in 1918
[2:07] Diogenes Kuhr: the armistice went into effect
[2:07] Diogenes Kuhr: and the guns fell silent on the western front.
[2:07] Diogenes Kuhr: When the war ended,
[2:08] Diogenes Kuhr: empires had been destroyed and created
[2:08] Diogenes Kuhr: the modern world had come into being
[2:08] Diogenes Kuhr: and almost 10 million men had lost their lives in military service for all the combatant nations.
[2:08] Diogenes Kuhr: 21 million more were wounded...
[2:09] Diogenes Kuhr: when you go to small villages in England
[2:09] Diogenes Kuhr: you will see the memorials with dozens of names
[2:09] Diogenes Kuhr: those small communities must have been devastated by the losses
[2:09] Diogenes Kuhr: a generation was affected...
[2:10] Diogenes Kuhr: let us begin with a moment of silence for those who gave their lives in doing their duty for their respective nations
[2:11] Ernst Osterham nods
[2:14] Diogenes Kuhr: in the commonwealth nations, it is customary to read a part of a poem called "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

German trench in a wood (from my own collection)

[2:15] Diogenes Kuhr: in the German army, they have a song they sing
[2:16] Diogenes Kuhr: Ich hatt einen Kameraden
[2:16] Diogenes Kuhr: the song for a fallen comrade

Ich hatt' einen Kameraden,
Einen bessern findst du nit.
Die Trommel schlug zum Streite,
Er ging an meiner Seite
In gleichem Schritt und Tritt.
In gleichem Schritt und Tritt.

Will mir die Hand noch reichen,
Derweil ich eben lad.
Kann dir die Hand nicht geben,
Bleib' du im ew'gen Leben
Mein guter Kamerad!
Mein guter Kamerad!

[2:17] Diogenes Kuhr: none of these men and women who did their duty in service for what they belived in should be forgotten
[2:18] Diogenes Kuhr: thank you
[2:18] Ernst Osterham: Thank you, Dio, that was very well said
[2:18] Callipygian Christensen: thank you Diogenes
[2:19] Diogenes Kuhr: oh my thank you for joining us
[2:19] Ernst Osterham: Would anyone mind if I read another poem?
[2:19] Diogenes Kuhr: please do Ernst
[2:20] Callipygian Christensen: http://www.sluniverse.com/pics/pic.aspx?id=416574
[2:20] Callipygian Christensen: I sent this to snapzilla
[2:20] Ernst Osterham: This is "The Soldier" by Rupert Brooke

IF I should die, think only this of me:
That there’s some corner of a foreign field
That is for ever England. There shall be
In that rich earth a richer dust concealed;
A dust whom England bore, shaped, made aware,
Gave, once, her flowers to love, her ways to roam,
A body of England’s, breathing English air,
Washed by the rivers, blest by suns of home.

And think, this heart, all evil shed away,
A pulse in the eternal mind, no less
Gives somewhere back the thoughts by England given;
Her sights and sounds; dreams happy as her day;
And laughter, learnt of friends; and gentleness,
In hearts at peace, under an English heaven.

[2:22] Callipygian Christensen: thank you Ernst
[2:22] Diogenes Kuhr: thank you Ernst

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