"The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and
bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."
Douglas MacArthur
America At War: Poems Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins,
illustrated by Stephen Alcorn
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008, 96 pages
Today is Veterans Day, a day to honor the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces. This year, I would like to share a poem called "America's Welcome Home" by Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933), an American poet, educator, and Presbyterian minister. I found this poem in an anthology for young readers called
America At War, edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins (1938-2019). I chose this poem because Veterans Day, as you may know, was originally called Armistice Day. The poem was written at the end of World War I, with the signing of the armistice on November 11, 1918 and calling for a ceasefire beginning at 11 o'clock in the morning.
In Memoriam
FCP 1955-2001
It's a beautiful book and poem, Alex. I have it and it is filled with wonderful poems, isn't it? One of my grandfathers stayed home to work the family farm in WWI. His brother fought & came home to live the rest of his life in a nursing home because he was gassed. I met him once, learned then of the terrible cost of that war. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteIt is a terrific book. Glad to see the word being spread. Thanks for the post.
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