Love And Thanks To All Who Serve!

[casp0555]

Salute to all Servicemen and women, past and present, and especially to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

[casp0555]

Originally Posted by casp0555

Salute to all Servicemen and women, past and present, and especially to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

My Dad enlisted in the Army and was shipped to post-war Germany sometime in 1946, he doesn't talk about that part much but only to say that he had never witnessed so much suffering. He does like to talk about being recruited to play on the division's sports team where he traveled around the country playing other division teams in baseball, softball, bowling,and whatever . He was very athletic and a natural hardball player. His team won a championship and the entire team was given inscribed Rolex watches. He was coming back to stateside and was laid over in Hawaii and needed some cash so he hocked his watch to the company pawn guy and never seen the watch again. You would of thought he was Bilbo Baggins talking about wanting to see the "ring" again the way my Dad talks about that watch. and by the way, he tells this story to me and my brothers everytime we get together....I'm going to miss hearing that story one of these days, Dad turned 87 in September.

[bigrun]

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Joe has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Veteran died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Veteran died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young,
But the passing of a Veteran
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Veteran,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever-waffling stand?

Or would you want a Veteran
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Veteran,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Veteran,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his likes again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Veteran's part,
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honour
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A VETERAN DIED TODAY."