Speaking of Veteran's day, someone sent me this touching tribute today
which I thought I'd share. No doubt we have a few vets in this group?
If not from the U.S. elsewhere in the world... It applies to us all.
Please read 'til the very end...that part is the best... I'm a dove
usually, but this tribute really touched me.
Cheers, Brenda
I ASK ONLY THAT TODAY YOU TAKE JUST A MOMENT OF SILENCE TO REMEMBER
THE
MEN THAT HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES FOR US AND OUR FOREFATHERS SO THAT WE
MAY BE FREE.
Bury me with Soldiers
I've played a lot of roles in life;
I've met a lot of men.
I've done some things I'd like to think
I wouldn't do again.
And though I'm young, I'm old enough
To know some day I'll die,
And to think about what lies beyond,
Besides whom I would lie.
Perhaps it doesn't matter much;
Still, if I had my choice,
I'd want a grave 'mongst soldiers when
At last death quells my voice.
I'm sick of the hypocrisy
Of lectures of the wise.
I'll take the man, with all the flaws,
Who goes, though scared, and dies.
The troops I knew were commonplace
They didn't want the war;
They fought because their fathers and
Their fathers had before.
They cursed and killed and wept---
God knows
They're easy to deride--
But bury me with men like these;
They faced the guns and died.
It's funny when you think of it,
The way we got along.
We'd come from different worlds
To live in one no one belongs.
I didn't even like them all;
I'm sure they'd all agree.
Yet I would give my life for them,
I hope some did for me.
So bury me with soldiers, please,
Though much maligned they be.
Yes, bury me with soldiers, for
I miss their company.
We'll not soon see their likes again;
We've had our fill of war.
But bury me with men like them
Till someone else does more.
~ Author Unknown ~
On Veterans Day, we honor
those who fought...and those who fell
and hear the trials of soldiers in battle
from their comrades who lived to tell.
And on the holiday that's set aside
for the 11th of November,
I think that we should do much more
...than just stop and remember.
Because war to every Veteran,
is more than just a memory,
we need to search and ask ourselves
...just what if it was me?
What if it was me...a loving mother
whose face turned ghostly pale
as her son read aloud a draft notice
that he had received in the mail.
What if it was me...who didn't ask questions
while stationed in thicket so deep
unknowingly close to an enemy
facing death...just to fall asleep?
What if it was me...an anxious young wife
who opened the door one day
to uniformed men whose greeting was:
"we're sorry, maa'm...he's MIA."
What if it was me...whose life depended
on a stranger carrying a gun
wondering...as a Prisoner of War,
if today, I'd be the one.
What if it was me...who left my children;
their future to go and protect
not sure if this was the last time
their little arms would hug my neck.
What if it was me...who finally came home
and for years tried hard to erase
the memory of a comrade who perished
and the bewildered look on his face.
What if it was me...would I question my loyalty?
Would I hide my fears inside?
Would I act so brave and undaunted?
Would I have lived...or died?
For those who fought for our country,
the verses in this poem include
a different way to express to you
our everlasting gratitude.
And a thought from George S. Patton
for those who gave all they had to give...
He said: It's foolish and wrong to mourn them,
rather we should thank God that they lived.
Author Unknown
