A Soldier Died Today - A Poem worth reading

[CORattler]

A Soldier Died Today

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."



A great big thanks to all of you who are veterans. Our world is a better place because of you.

[richfaa]

we offer a special tribute to all those WWll soldiers who are leaving us at a rapid rate. Every single one in our family who served in WW11 and it was most of them of that era are gone. My Uncle Ernest a quiet sort of pear shaped guy, printer by trade joined the Army December 8th 1941 and was in many major campaigns in Europe. He never talked about it and we only found his box of medals and ribbons after he passed away. My uncle Fred a bomber pilot was at Pearl Harbor December 7th 1941. Tall, skinny, funny, a salesman by trade. He never stepped foot in an airplane again after the war and never forgave the Japanese. He would never tell me why.My Uncle Art a combat engineer was one of the first US soldiers that stepped foot on japanese soil after the surrender These men all of them indeed changed the course of history. A very special generation.

[brooksider]

You are right, it sure was worth reading. Thanks
Joe