THE VETERAN

It was a Veteran, Not a Reporter,
Who Guaranteed Freedom of the Press.

It was a Veteran, Not a Poet,
Who Guaranteed Freedom of Speech.

It was a Veteran, Not a Campus Organizer,
Who Guaranteed Freedom to Demonstrate.

It is a Veteran Who Salutes the Flag,
Risks it all for the Flag
and Who is Buried Beneath a Flag.

GOD BLESS AMERICA'S VETERANS!

JUST A COMMON VETERAN

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 had fought in and the deeds that he had done
In his exploits with his buddies: they were heroes, everyone.

An tho' sometimes to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we will hear his tales no longer, for Old Bill has passed away
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He'll not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary quiet uneventful life,
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going on his way
So the world won't note his passing, 'tho a veteran dies today'.

When politicians leave this planet their bodies lie in State.
And thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great,
Papers tell life stories from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a sailor goes unnoticed and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises 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?

A politician's stipend and style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives,
While the ordinary airman, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal, and perhaps a pension small.

It's so easy to forget them, for it was a long time ago
That the Old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was 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 want a politician with his ever shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a serviceman who has sworn he will defend
Our home, our kin, our Country, and he would fight until the end.

He was just a common serviceman and his ranks are growing thin
But his presence should remind us, we may need his likes again.
For when Countries are in conflict then 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 is here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's pay him homage at the end of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in the paper would say:
OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A VETERAN DIED TODAY.

Author Unknown

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