A
Simple Soldier!
He
was getting old and paunchy
And
his hair was falling fast,
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’ Bob 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’s
so easy to forget them,
For
it is so many times
That
our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went
to battle, but we know,
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 like 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.”
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