In Memory Of

I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze;
A young Marine 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 mothers' tears?
How many pilot's planes shot down?
How many died at sea?
How many foxholes 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 graveyard
At the bottom of the sea,
Of unmarked graves in Arlington ...
No ... Freedom is not Free!

~ Kelly Strong ~





Our brave men and women
Have said their good-byes,
Their families were waving
With teardrops in their eyes.
A mother quickly rushed home
And turned her TV on,
But it's only been an hour
That her youngest son has gone.

The men and women left behind
While their spouses go to war,
Try to explain to their children
What we're fighting for.

Every time a call comes in,
Whenever the door bell rings,
They shudder at the awful thought
Of what bad news war could bring.

You are the Silent Soldiers
Doing much more than your share;
And though we haven't seen you,
We know that you are there.

To all the children waiting
And to the families and friends,
We hope that very shortly
Your loved ones will be home again.

The sacrifices you will endure
Of facing each new day,
You too have our prayers and support,
Bless you and our USA.

~ Elaine V. Hall ~





Hugs,
Carrie