Veteran's Day in Plymouth

Hello,

We spent a nice weekend in Plymouth... I needed to go down this weekend because there was a Veteran's Day Ceremony and I was laying a wreath for Canada. Plymouth was nice, and there was actually a few malls to do some shopping, so we had a nice vacation from Cornwall (Plymouth is barely in Devon).

Anyways, the service was very nice. Many WWII vets came up to us, and I think although it was easy for us to get down there, it meant a lot to them to see Canada represented. I think it is hard for Canadians to really connect to the great wars, because although we lost many men and women, our country was more or less untouched. Plymouth was levelled. Twice. The people there haven't forgotten, and it really adds something to a ceremony like that. What was really nice, is that I was able to take Lochlan and Miah up to lay a flower at the memorial after all of the other wreaths were laid.

A poem was read, which was basically an excerpt from "Celestial Flight" by Elizabeth Mackethan Magid, which I found very powerful. Here is what was read:

He is not dead - But only flying higher
Higher than he's flown before
And earthly limitations
Will hinder him no more

Thank God that now his flight can be
To heights his eyes had scanned
Where he can race the comets
And buzz the rainbow span

So all you loved ones dry your eyes
Yes it is wrong that you should grieve
For he would love your courage more
And he would want you to believe

He is not dead
You should have known
That he is flying higher
Higher than he's ever flown

The real poem is here for those of you interested:

http://wwii-women-pilots.org/Celestial_Flight/celestial_flight.html

Interesting to note that the original poem was by a WWII woman pilot, about a WWII woman pilot.

Ciao,

Mark