Some Gave All and All Gave Some
The tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery
They gave their tomorrows ...............for our todays
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
By LCDR Kelly Strong, USCG - Copyright 1981
I watched the flag pass by one day,
It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Service man 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 pilots' planes shot down?
How many died at sea
How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?
No, freedom isn't 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 isn't free.
Memorial Day Poem
We walked among the crosses
Where our fallen soldiers lay.
And listened to the bugle
As taps began to play.
The Chaplin led a prayer
We stood with heads bowed low.
And I thought of fallen comrades
I had known so long ago.
They came from every city
Across this fertile land.
That we might live in freedom.
They lie here 'neath the sand.
I felt a little guilty
My sacrifice was small.
I only lost a little time
But these men lost their all.
Now the services are over
For this Memorial Day.
To the names upon these crosses
I just want to say,
Thanks for what you've given
No one could ask for more.
May you rest with God in heaven
From now through evermore.
I know these poems are kinda long, but I just think they are nice to read for Memorial Day. After all it is Memorial day, a day to remember all the men and women who go out each day to pay for the freedom you and I sometimes take for grandid. I have seen the ships and planes leave for war. Its not a great feeling to know that many people you know may not come back, but its a proud feeling to be able to say you personally know people who have fought for the freedom of this country. I admire and respect all the soldiers who fight in small and large ways every day in order for our country to have the freedom we know and love. Tomorrow take 5 minutes out of your busy day and maybe read a poem to acknowledge the men and women or say thank you to someone you know who has fought for YOUR freedom. It doesn't take long and I guarantee the person you thank will feel touched that you thought about him/her on Memorial day and that you appreciate what they went through!