RealKillas........

Peoms of Soliders

 WWI

Siegfried Sassoon,

The Survivors

NO doubt they'll soon get well; the shock and strain
  Have caused their stammering, disconnected talk.
Of course they're 'longing to go out again,'--
  These boys with old, scared faces, learning to walk.
They'll soon forget their haunted nights; their cowed
  Subjection to the ghosts of friends who died,--
Their dreams that drip with murder; and they'll be proud
  Of glorious war that shatter'd all their pride...
Men who went out to battle, grim and glad;
Children, with eyes that hate you, broken and mad.
____________________

WWII

My Buddy

They say he died in glory,
What ever that may be.
If its dying in a burst of flame,
Then glory's not for me.

In the briefing room this morning,
He sat with clear eyes and strong heart,
Just one of many airman
Determined to do his part.

My buddy had the guts alright,
He sought not glory nor fame.
He knew there was a job to do,
My crew all felt the same.

But death had the final word,
In its log it wrote his name.
For my buddy died this afternoon
In glory - in a burst of flame.
(Dedicated to Mike Shanley who gave his life ditching on his 6th mission)

 ____________________

Vietnam War

Sergeant Major (Ret) George S. Kulas

 Touching
The old man touched many names on the wall.

Each one touched him, especially his son's.

With tears in his eyes and with shaking hands

The old man touched many names. On the wall

built for heroes who had answered the call

To Vietnam and returned as the ones

The old man touched. Many names on the wall.

Each one touched him. Especially his son's!

 ____________________

Iraq War

PFC B. Miller
(1980-March 22, 2004)

Eulogy

It happens on a Monday, at 11:20 A.M.,
as tower guards eat sandwiches
and seagulls drift by on the Tigris River.
Prisoners tilt their heads to the west
though burlap sacks and duct tape blind them.
The sound reverberates down concertina coils
the way piano wire thrums when given slack.
And it happens like this, on a blue day of sun,
when Private Miller pulls the trigger
to take brass and fire into his mouth:
the sound lifts the birds up off the water,
a mongoose pauses under the orange trees,
and nothing can stop it now, no matter what
blur of motion surrounds him, no matter what voices
crackle over the radio in static confusion,
because if only for this moment the earth is stilled,
and Private Miller has found what low hush there is
down in the eucalyptus shade, there by the river.

___________________

Freedom isn’t Free

It’s dark and I sit at my .50 cal trembling
40 mph in a humvee and I have deju vu
Just want to go home
then that bad feeling hits me again
are my ears bleeding?
is everybody else OK?
Goddamned roadside bombs
We are fine
Another truck wasn’t so lucky
Back at base no food, can barely get a
new truck ready in time for the morning
Another day kicking in doors
find a cache and insurgents responsible
for american deaths
Frustrated because we have to be nice
as we arrest them
So when you talk to me
I may not seem to pay attention
I may forget to laugh at a joke
remember freedom isn’t free
I would do it all over for you

—Noah Charles Pierce © 2007 Cheryl Softich

_____________________

April 16, 1991/Poet Unknown

To all our troops of Operation Desert Storm, We hope your return will not be long. We watched you fly we saw you sail, With you went our prayers that victory will prevail. You were so united in this foreign land, Together as one, you took a firm stand. You were so brave and strong in all the things you had to do, We were sincerely praying that God would take care of you. To all we sent our love so true, The USA was rooting for you.

______________________
 
Freedom/Poem written in 2000

Today I will walk barefoot in the grass, I will feel the sharp tips of the grass between my toes.

Today I will walk on the warm pavement and feel the heat penetrate the bottom of

my feet. The rocks ever so gently rolling underneath the curve of my foot.

Today I will walk barefoot in the sand, feeling the fine grains roll through my toes,

to the back of my heels.

Today I will feel the wind blow through my hair and its fingertips brush my shoulders.

Today I will look out into the vast place we call an Ocean and admire the mysteries

beauty and serenity that it holds.

Today I realized I am who many call American, proud to be free, proud to walk,

feel, see and breathe Freedom.

.As the wind blew through my hair and I looked out to the vast place called an Ocean, the names of our military we proudly called. We salute you.

To all of our men and women in the military; Thank you for giving us the God Given right to be free. .

Poet Unknown

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