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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.
And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors,
his tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened, for they
knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
for old Bob has passed away
And the world's a little poorer, for a
soldier died today.
No 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,
quietly going 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 sometimes disproportionate to the
services 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
was so long ago
That our Bob's and Jim's and Johnny's
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 really want some cop-out
with his ever waffling stand?
Or would you want a soldier who has
sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and country, and
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,
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'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, FOR A
SOLDIER DIED TODAY.
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