They shall not grow old - Beautiful High Flight Poem by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee

                           

                                 

                                                   PER ARDUA AD ASTRA

Oh! I have slipped the surely bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings:

Sunward I've climbed and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds-and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. How'ring there

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind - swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, nor eagle flew,
And while with silent lifting mind i've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space
Put out my hand and touched the face of God,

Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee
Royal Canadian Air Force

This is such a beautiful poem writen by an American airman who flew for the RCAF and was killed in the Second World War. I loved it so much that i wanted to share this beautiful poem with the world!
May we never forget their courage and what all of our veterans past and present have done and are doing for us now!

Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee P/O(P) J5823 From Washington, D.C U.S.A. was killed Dec.. 11/41 age 19 #412 Falcon Squadron (Promtusad Vindictum) P/O Magee was killed when his Spitfire aircraft # AD291collided with an Oxford aircraft and crashed at Ruskington Hall, Ruskington, Lincolnshire. P/O Magee was born in Shanghai, China and was educated in Rugby, England and Avon, Connecticut, U.S.A. he is the author of the poem High Flight the original manuscript of which resides in the Unitted States in
the Library of Congress, Pilot officer Magee is buried in the Scopwick Church burial ground, Scopwick, Lincolshire, England.

Taken from the book - They shall never grow old! May we not forget them!

                                               THANK YOU!