Armistice Day, November 11, 1918

On this Veteran's Day ninety years after The Great War ended, we should pause and reflect on the sacrifices made by the men and women of that generation. World War I was overshadowed by the Second World War, but it had horror beyond our ability to imagine today. From the time we entered the war in April 1917, until Armistice Day, we had 117,000 combat deaths, and 205,000 wounded. Those are really big numbers for the few months we were in the war. Worldwide there were about 10,000,000 killed by the war, 3,000,000 widows, and 10,000,000 orphans.

The first video in today's post is "My Dream of the Big Parade," performed by Henry Burr, Billy Murray, and the Peerless Quartet. The second video is a lighthearted song I am sure you have heard before. Spend some time reflecting on the debt we owe all who have served to protect our freedom, and be sure to thank a vet today.

Here is Nora Bayes in a 1919 recording of "How Ya Gonna Keep Them Down On The Farm," posted on YouTube by RReady555.