Author, Jim Munden refers to this poem in his book “The Spring of ‘31″ as having made a strong impression on him in school in the early ’30’s:

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
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 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 to die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
  In Flanders fields.

Publication note: This poem was first published anonymously in London “Punch.”  The author is Dr. John McCrae, formerly of the Royal Victoria Hospital at Montreal, now with No. 3 Canadian General Hospital in France.

Postscript: “Written in early May 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, it was an instant hit after appearing in December 8th, 1915…Dr. McCrae continued to serve until overworked and demoralized, he died of pneumonia on the 28th of January, 1918, at age 45.”

Washington, DC - October 28, 2009

From Letters to the Editor - Winston-Salem Journal
Back in August, the Flight of Honor program for old-time veterans was announced. It seemed like a nostalgic thing to do, so I signed up for the second flight on Oct. 28. (I had joined the U.S. Navy at age 18 in 1942.)

On Oct. 3, a congregation of family, friends and television crew had greeted the initial flight when it came back from Washington. As the yellow-shirted and blue-capped vets came into view, tears welled up as they tried to express their feelings about the day. One said, “It was the best day of my life.”

Could these men be the gung-ho, hell-for-leather spirits that permeated the minds of World War II? Had 65 years of the quandaries of life softened them to tender tears? What had they seen up there?

On Oct. 28, we flew to Reagan National Airport. On the concourse, several hundred strangers shook our hands and said, “Thanks for serving.”

At the World War II Memorial, a 10-year-old girl lifted her hand up to me and said, “Thanks for serving.”

On the plane home, “mail call” delivered a packet of letters from school kids. One of mine asked, “Do you have tattoos?”

And on the concourse at home, we took our time shaking all hands extended from the 2,000 family members, relatives, friends, military units, Hell’s Angels and police officers present, saying, “Thanks for serving.”

The line stretched out the door to the parking lot.

I wiped my eyes on my sleeve.

JAMES E. MUNDEN

RADIOMAN, U.S. NAVY

Winston-Salem

Links:
Image Slideshow (Note that James Munden is the first photo)

Large photo of the group (James in in the back row, far right, next to the man holding a white flag. Almost in the center of the panoramic picture.)

Images set 1 (1048 images)
     Plane Images (As they were leaving Greensboro Airport)
     Plane Images (on return to Greensboro Airport)
     James E. Munden 1
     James E. Munden 2
     James E. Munden 3

Image set 2 (662 images)

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A RICH WORLD - Happy Days during the Depression  

This is an article posted in the Winston-Salem Journal about growing up during the Great Depression.

A few days ago my wife, Jane, and I were invited to Smithfield to see a historical plaque recently mounted in the fabulous new A. G. Glenn museum, (our old high school building). It  features the early school busing days of the 1930’s and 40’s school consolidation when student drivers combed the rural dirt roads of North Carolina and brought the “country kids” to school in the cities. I had a special interest in the placque because I  rode the buses for 12 years, 1930-1942 and drove a daily route the last two years.

 But my main interest was that my book, “The Spring of  ‘31 - A Kid’s View of the Great Depression”  has become the center piece of this impressive 3 x 5 foot display of photos and stories from a transitory period in our state’s history.

Jim Munden

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Tuesday, March 17, I spoke to “The Friends of Lewisville Library” on the subject of The Great Depression. The recent downturn in our economy has renewed interest in the 1930’s debacle and prompted them to select this as their March topic of interest.

Some remember my book, “The Spring of “31 - A Kid’s View of the Great Depression” of 2004, so they asked me to lead the discussion.

And a spirited discussion it was! About 20 were present including a very lucid 100 year old lady, a high school history instructor with two of his students and others with interesting memories of a tough time in our lives.

Deb Phillips of Lewisvillephotos.com recorded the event and has posted
much of it on her web site. And my wife, Jane, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Jim Munden

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