Not Parker Related but Worth Sharing
This came to me in an email today from my father-in-law who served in WWII in the South Pacific and is now 89. I don't know who the author is and I beg his or her forgiveness for my not being able to properly attribute this poem.
I honor him and every serviceman and woman who have been and are members of our armed forces.
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.
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 their ploys
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger
With your enemies close at hand
Would you really want some schemer
With his ever-waffling stand?
Or would you want a Soldier
His home, his country and 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 nations 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 take the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.
Perhaps a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING
FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY"
Bless them, every one.
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12-14-2011, 10:08 PM
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