LEST WE FORGET - On Memorial Day

[woodrat]

LEST WE FORGET


I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Serviceman saluted it,
And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform
So young, so tall, so proud.
With hair cut square and eyes alert
He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him
Had fallen through the years.
How many died on foreign soil?
How many mother's tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxhole were soldiers' graves?
No, Freedom is not free!

I heard the sound of taps one night,
When everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play,
And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times
That taps had meant "Amen,"
When a flag had draped a coffin,
of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,
Of the mothers and the wives,
Of fathers, sons and husbands,
With interrupted lives.

I thought about a grave yard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington,
NO, Freedom is not free!
(author unknown)

 

[thatmguy]

Thanks man.

I know we all sleep better and easier thanks to their efforts and sacrifices.

Thank you to all veterans, to all those currently serving (especially our own hog brothers and sisters), and a special thanks to those whose loved ones have made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

Mike & Nancy

 

[frogfish]

Thanks for the reminder......

 

[roughedges]

Thanks for posting that. I had never read it before and it is both poignant and true. And touching.

Thanks again. And thanks to all those who have served in the past and to those who continue.

 

[Peter La]

That is an incredibly stirring poem. Thank you for sharring that piece.

 

[Jerry Busse]

Great poem! Thanks for posting it here for all to enjoy. We honor all who have served and all who have fallen in defense of our freedom. They are all heroes whose sacrifices should be remembered and celebrated every day.

Jerry and Jennifer

 

[Peter La]

Great poem! Thanks for posting it here for all to enjoy. We honor all who have served and all who have fallen in defense of our freedom. They are all heroes whose sacrifices should be remembered and celebrated every day.

Jerry and Jennifer

Very well said Mr. Busse.

 

[nyresq]

on memorial day we march in parades, we have a Bar B que, we remember friends or some we never knew, and we pray for those still protecting us.
But never forget, 364 other days this year will have our warriors in foreign lands, and our protectors here on our home field, the men in blue and the men in red, risking their asses to keep ours safe...
So when you see a G.I. in the airport, or walking down the street, ask him if he has come home or is shipping out. if he has come home, say thank you and shake his hand, if he is shipping out, say thank you, shake his hand and say a prayer for him to come home safe and soon.
When you get pulled over for rolling through a stop sign, be polite, accept the ticket you earned, and say a prayer the next guy the cop pulls over won't try to kill him.
when you see a fire truck in your rear view mirror, pull out of the way, and pray they get back to the station safe and healthy.

Memorial day is to honor those that did protect us, the other 364 days are for us to honor the ones who still are