On the 100th anniversary of the creation of The American Legion upon the first anniversary of the end of WWI, Dr. Ross Riggs dedicates this poem to every veteran and their families who have, for over 100 years, kept America’s flag flying. Dr. Riggs is a U.S. Air Force veteran, the son of a WWII vet and father of a wounded warrior veteran. He and his son are members of American Legion Post 44, Canton, Ohio.

BEYOND FLANDERS FIELD
Some remember well their veterans,
And for liberty the price each paid;
And they know it wasn’t on a battlefield where their hero was made.
It was at home, a farm or a house with kids and dogs and cats,
Or perhaps it was at every day work and places just like that.
There’s something inside patriots which compels them to go,
Wherever their country needs them, whether to the heat, the ocean or snow.
They’ve been building up inside of them the people that they are,
Duty, Honor, Country, those words echo from afar.
Its love and sacrifice. It’s faith and family too,
Heroes come from our home towns,
They’re people just like you.
They don’t do anything extra than they do each day of their life;
Because what they do, its all for love, for children, family, wife.
It could be for their mom and dad, their husband and brother, too;
But deep inside, with valiant pride, is their love for the red, white, and blue.
So, this Veterans Day ,when you see your vet, or one you just have met;
Never forget the price they paid on battlefields large and small,
And the cost to family right here at home, because they love us all.