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 Soldier 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 Soldier 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 Soldier,
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 Soldier,
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 Soldier,
his home, his country, his kin,
just a common Soldier,
who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
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 Soldier's part,
is to clean up all the troubles,
that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor,
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 SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

 

Excellent, Max.

I miss the times with my father-in-law when he regaled tales of the Pacific in WWII.
He was a AA gunner on an LST and saw Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

 

Thanks for posting that poem. It made my day.
US51559096

 

As a fellow veteran myself, I Thank You.

MSG Stephen E. Jackson
US Army Reserves
Desert Shield / Desert Storm
Operation Iraqi Freedom
Operation Enduring Freedom

 

My honor, folks. I just wish a larger segment of the population realized that soldiers (seamen, airmen and Marines included) are much, MUCH more than displaced servants that couldn't find a job elsewhere.
They (we) are people that decided a life spent protecting others was worth pursuing.
I have not yet met a servicemember, active or retired, that told me that they were a better person before enlisting. They all have agreed that a hitch taught them self reliance, self discipline and self respect.
All while getting paid!

Thanks YOU, folks.

 

Excellent.
I hope you wont mind if I copy this to my Facebook. We have become the Roman Empire. Our Gladiators and Politicians are revered and the ones who do the every day heroic deeds are forgotten. When we pay a person who wears a helmet and puts their life on the line for the country less than the one who wears a helmet and chases a ball something is not right.

 

Thanks Max. The poem speaks the truth.

 

You go right on ahead.

 

+1 to Max

My Dad was on the LST145, but he served just after all the fighting was over. His deployment was blowing up little islands with big bombs-Operation Sandstone

 

I attended a Memorial Day concert here in Sun City. They had the WWII guys stand. There were only a half dozen left. If you want to personally thank one of them, the clock is ticking.

They then had vets from each individual service branch stand. There were a half dozen Coast Guard guys there. I sometimes forget them. When the army vets stood, some ladies rose. Another group that can be forgotten. It seemed that at least 1 in 4 of the men folks present stood at some point. Vets are all around us but as the poem said we don't always know them.

 

Yes, my father-in-law was Coast Guard, and served in WWII in both the North Atlantic on convoy duty as well in the Pacific campaign.

 

The old guys never boasted about their service and rarely talked about it except to their fellow comrades. They just did it, came home and went about life as normally as they could and tried to put it behind them.

 

Thanks Max
Wonderful poem which I will also share on my FB page

 

I couldn't have said it any better!
Wonderful poem.