Photo By Michelle Gordon | Red poppy wreaths were placed on behalf of the United States, as well as the...... read more read more
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Gray clouds filled the Sun City sky as Fort Bliss leaders came together for a solemn ceremony to mark Remembrance Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, at Memorial Circle on Fort Bliss, Texas.
Traditionally held across the United Kingdom on the second Sunday in November, Remembrance Sunday honors British service members who died during both World Wars and other conflicts. The Fort Bliss, Texas ceremony was hosted by Brigadier Andy Cox, a member of the British Army who is currently serving as the Fort Bliss Deputy Commanding General (Maneuver).
During his opening remarks, Cox welcomed the small, socially-distant group and spoke about the origins of the event, as well as its most-recognizable symbol, the red poppy.
“The red poppy became associated with the Word War I memorials after scores of those flowers bloomed in the former battlefields of Belgium and northern France,” he said. “In 1921, the Royal British Legion, a charitable organization for our veterans, began selling red, paper poppies to mark the act of national remembrance.”
The Remembrance Sunday ceremony included a reading of the war poem, “In Flanders Fields,” written by Canadian soldier John McCrae, as well as remarks from Soldiers representing the Commonwealth of Nations.
Prior to the placement of poppy wreaths, the audience observed two minutes of silence, as has been done every year since the first anniversary in November 1919, when King George V requested that all of England pause in silence for two minutes in acknowledgment of the World War I fatalities.
“Our gathering today is a demonstration of past, present and future alliance and commitment to continue to protect the freedom and justice that so many have paid the ultimate sacrifice to provide,” Cox said. “We remember today that freedom is not free. As a servant of the armed forces and the brave men and women who respond to the call to arms, I, as you, serve to lead, and on this day my heart is with our fallen and their families.”
| Date Taken: | 11.12.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 11.12.2020 18:37 |
| Story ID: | 382917 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 22 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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