He was getting old and paunchy and his
hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion telling stories of his
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, every one.
And tho' sometimes to
his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for
they knew whereof he spoke
But we'll hear his tales no longer, for old Bill
has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for the Soldier died
today.
He won't be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he
lived an ordinary, quick and uneventful life
Held a job and raised a
family,
quietly going his own 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 their life stories from the time that they were
young,
But the passing of a Soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
In the
greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
One guy breaks his promises
and cons his fellow man
But the ordinary fellow, who in times of war and
strife,
Goes off to serve his country and offers up his life.
A
politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes
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 was so long ago
That the
old Bills of our country 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 want a politician with his ever~shifting
stand?
Or would you prefer a Soldier who has sworn to defend
His home, his
kin and country and would fight right to the end?
He was just a common
Soldier and his ranks are growing thin
But his presence should remind us we
may need his likes 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 a paper that would say,
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY !!"
-Author Unknown