I found this poem many years ago and have carried it with me ever-since. I was that which others did not want to be. I went where others feared to go, and did what others feared to do. I asked nothing from those who gave nothing and reluctantly accepted the thought of eternal loneliness...should I fail. I have seen the face of terror,felt the stinging cold of fear,and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moments Love. I have cried,pained,and hoped...but most of all,I lived times others would say were best forgotten. At least some day I will be able to say that I was proud of what I was... a soldier! -unknown
If I may - for those not here Under the wide and starry sky, Dig the grave and let me lie. Glad did I live and gladly die, And I laid me down with a will. This be the verse you grave for me: Here he lies where he longed to be; Home is the sailor, home from the sea, And the hunter home from the hill. To those families who have lost someone, know that many care and feel your pain in a small way. And we will not forget.
Sadly, my local county government has cancelled all Memorial Day Celebration plans due to expected high winds and rain. . No surprise there what so ever. . You don't suppose any of our fallen heroes had to ever endure hardships with the weather as well as fighting for their lives and for us do you? . I may go to the Airport with 10 thank you cards and ten $10 bills, one in each card with a note, and hand them to the first 10 soldiers or sailors I see. . There really ain't much I can do for the dead, except honor and thank the living who are carrying on the tradition.
I remember a couple years ago only a handful of folks stuck around when it started raining during the parade. Went ahead and stuck it out with my babies, figured if the men and women fought in the worst SE Asia had to offer the least me and the kids could do was enjoy a parade in a cold drizzle.
frankly, I don't believe the day is a cause for celebration. It should be a day of reflection and remembrance for those who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.
The hills and valleys are littered with graves of our countrymen, foreign fields hold countless graves of our fallen, and the ground awaits those taken from us even today. They fell for a solemn belief that our nation/our way of life was important. They left loved ones struggling with the lose of husband/son/etc. I often remember the flag draped coffins that we stood over during VN and the pics of coffins today coming back home from across the sea. To them I raise my hand to my brow, with my jaw firmly set, and a thankful heart for their sacrifices.
