Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 11, Ed. 1, July 2010 Page: 21 of 24
24 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this newspaper.
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July 2010
HELLCAT NEWS
Page 21
God and a soldier.
All people adore,
In time of war,
But not before.
And when the battle is o'er.
And the war's been won,
God is forgotten.
And an old soldier shunned...
A Poem Worth Reading
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.
The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.
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.
While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.
?/'/'
And 4tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.
IP "■
It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
" . :
• :
• ■ ;
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For oP Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?
.. . . •
■. : ;
He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
. .
Or would you want a Soldier—
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.
: ■ . .
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.
He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.
, ■
When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.
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.
Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?
Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?
author unknown
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Twelfth Armored Division Association (U.S.). Hellcat News, (Abilene, Tex.), Vol. 63, No. 11, Ed. 1, July 2010, newspaper, July 2010; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth410312/m1/21/: accessed July 12, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting The 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum.