The following poem was written by Mark Padgett, Jr. a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point following a West Point's Tap vigil Sept. 15, 2001.
The Vigil is attended and was called for by cadets for a fallen soldier. Over 4000
cadets outlined the field at the Academy called The Plain, and had a moment of silence, presentation of colors, bagpipes, and the playing of Taps before kneeling and praying
for Our Nation.
Vigil
The silent hush amongst us all
The September leaves begin to fall
While the thoughts race through our minds
As we shisper our precious lines.
A day we will ne're forget
Our hearts sad and echo regret
Were it that we could but aid
Upon the ground where lives were laid.
A cold shudder creeps into the night
Where so many stand prepared to fight
The sound of music cries in the air
The eerie silence so hard to bear
The shots ring out into the sky
Filled with gazes eye to eye
The darkest day we ever knew
Yet we stand, strong and true.
A part of us has died as well
The thought we think but dare not tell
For nothing will ever be the same
Our naivete is to blame.
The words ring true as we weep aloud
The song of which we are so proud
For here along this plain of fate
We can but watch, wonder, and wait.
For when our time has come to go
I pray they watch upon us so
And know we fight for liberty
As they watch in eternity.
CDT Mark Padgett, Jr. USMA 2003 September 15, 2001