War Stories

Prelude: Remember Our Heroes

One war

Affects me and you

Much more

Than we want it to.

 

We send fine soldiers away

To die in a foreign land

And on a certain day

We sing, “United We Stand.”

 

But we fail to see

The pain that comes with glory

And we also fail to see

The real tragedy of bravery.

 

Many have lost their lives

Serving our heartland

But what true bravery implies

We just don’t seem to understand.

 

And as the young men are called forth

To do what they have been trained to do

They stand together and never break apart

As they wade on through.

 

They lay their lives on the line

Fighting for our country

And during that time

We fail to see.

 

Many soldiers die

We fail to see

Wounded men cry

We fail to see.

 

Bullets fly

A lifetime away

Soldiers die
And all we can do is pray.

 

For all those who have died

We never can say, “Thank You”

We can only erect a monument a few feet high

And remember soldiers brave and true.

 

These soldiers should be honored

They have outdone us all

Their souls should be remembered

As the results of a terrible war.

Part I: Remembering

I set foot on the battlefield

And saw good men die

The enemy did not yield

The fear never left my eye.

 

I saw the dead

I saw the dying

And I saw how they bled

And I tried to shut out the crying.

 

Even above the shout of the bullets

I heard the groaning of brave men

That is a sound I will never forget

Because I believe that no mortal man can.

 

And I should have been one of them

My brothers united by a cause

Hundreds of the bravest men

Whose lives were lost.

 

But they have died with honor

For their country and all it stands for

Each death respected with valor

Each memory will stand tall.

 

I remember it

It keeps me going

I have a purpose

My life has meaning.

 

My brothers will never be forgotten

By loved ones or others

Hundreds of brave men

Hundreds of grieving mothers.

 

I feel for them

The aches tear at me every day

The families of the bravest men

Will remain in my heart until my dying day.

 

The wall is a reminder

Of a time so great and so tragic

A day that will last forever

A day my soul will never forget.

Part II: The Widow Waits

She waits in an empty home

Waiting for her husband

She aches, she’s alone

She nervously turns her wedding band.

 

A doorbell wakes her

From a daze she fell under

Of days that were better

Of days before the war.

 

Sighing, she rises

Taking the way slow

And in her heart she realizes

In her heart she knows.

 

She takes a peek

Out the spotless window

Her knees grow weak

Her eyes well up with sorrow.

 

A cab is parked in front

And she recalls the rumor

How news travels from higher up

Down to the widow of a dead soldier.

 

The door opens slowly

And the woman holds back a sob

And the saddened cab driver can see

Why he hates this job.

 

She takes the telegram

Looking down in disbelief

He withdraws his hand

Before he is forced to share in the grief.

 

The cab driver turns away

No thanks, no smile

It’s a sunny yet rainy day

And the few feet seem like a mile.

 

And the widow gives in

And sinks to the ground

Until a kind neighbor helps her in

And lowers her into a chair without a sound.

 

They cry together

As friends do

But the pain is never over

And the pain is always new.

 

Comfort is given

Condolences are received

And the neighbor begins

To get up to leave.

 

But a hand reaches out

The widow of the soldier

Still has more to let out

She just needs a few moments longer.

 

The neighbor is sympathetic

This can happen to her too

She takes the widow’s hand and pats it

She will stay and see the widow through.

 

And the hours go by

The neighbor has left long ago

But there are still tears to cry

It has to be done alone, she knows.

 

She grieves

She holds the telegram still

And to her it seems

That she gets no help from “God’s Will.”

 

Why?

She cries

Why

Did her love have to die?

Part III: The Battlefield

Touching down

On a foreign land

On rough ground

Sweat on the hands.

 

The helicopter roars

Then abandons us

And we are forced to explore

What lies in wait for us.

 

Guns at the ready

Eyes fierce and watchful

We unite as Company

And proceed on to battle.

 

And enter the carnage

And enter the pain

Slowly we slip over the edge

With all this, how can we be sane?

 

So much death surrounds us

So much agony

Charlie awaits us

Prepared to bring about misery.

 

We hear shouts

We hear moans

Curses streaming from mouths

And wishes to go home.

 

So much confusion

Lies here

As men die for a mission

On a foreign battlefield.

 

Cry for us

God in heaven

Pray for us

And our fellow dying men.

Part IV: I Send A Telegram

The pain of going through

The lists of the dead

But it’s a job someone has to do

As it shall be a telegram tearfully read.

 

Dear Madam Widow

I’m sorry to say

This war, as you know

Seems to get in everybody’s way.

 

And with each passing letter

It never gets any easier

These soldiers deserve better

There must be a better reminder.

 

But… it has to be done

Another sorry effect of war

A telegram of one

Causes another to grieve more.

 

I am a casualty of war

My life ends with every letter I write

And unleashes feelings I’ve held in store

And causes me to lose sleep at night.

 

But I think of the receiving end

How must they feel?

Losing a husband, a lover, a friend

Will the wounds ever heal?

 

It’s me and a desk

Writing about a man lost in battle

Both being an awful task

Both ignite changes that are colossal.

 

Sorry, Ma’am

For doing this to you

But, Ma’am

It’s what I’m assigned to do.

 

I can’t understand what you’re going through

Nor would I want to

Please know that I hate doing this to you

Writing words that send grief to you.

 

And at the end of the day

I cry in sorrow and sometimes in relief

Because when I think of what the letter shall say

I realize that I do not take all of the grief.

 

Dear Madam Widow

With this letter I am closer to you

Please, Madam Widow

My deepest condolences go out to you.

Part V: The Dying Warrior

I am dying

I feel the pain

And I am crying

Tears in the rain.

 

Bullets fly

All around me

My brother won’t let me die

They will not give up on me.

 

I have fought

Now I want to go home

This is not what I have sought

But it’s a small comfort not to die alone.

 

Goodbye, Mother

I’ve tried to be a good son

Goodbye, my lover

I’ve always wanted us to be one.

 

The pain is intense

Can it ever end?

It is such a bad circumstance

Goodbye, my friends.

Part VI: Reliving

Tracing

Names on the wall

Reliving

It all.

 

The rain

The death

The pain

The stale breath.

 

Hope dwindled

With each passing moment

Fire rekindled

Now dying with each bullet sent.

 

Through jungles

In a land not ours

We’ve found struggles

Hours upon hours.

 

Our burdens were heavy

As we trod ahead

And what did we see?

The dead, the dead.

 

The wall is a reminder

Of tragedy never forgotten

Each name bears a brave soldier

Each brave soldier a brave man.

 

I will never forget

So help me God

But I will always relive it

So help me God.

Part VII: My Daddy The Hero

Mommy told me

About how Daddy died

And halfway through the story

She broke down and cried.

 

Why did he have to go

So far away?

I should have told him no

I should have made him stay.

 

And now he is gone

To heaven, Mommy said

But, she says, his spirit lives on

Even though his body is dead.

 

And I believe her

No enemy can take my Daddy away

He would never surrender

His spirit will always stay.

 

I’m so very proud of him

Fighting for me

And I will always remember him

In every American flag I see.

 

I want to be so much like Daddy

Fighting for his country

I want to grow up to be

A brave soldier just like Daddy.

 

Daddy was so far away

But he came home

His spirit is with me to this day

And I shall never be alone.

 

I will salute the flag

I will honor his name

I will spend time at Fort Bragg

I will live in his flame.

 

When I get older

He will honor through me

We shall honor our country together

Because I will never let go of Daddy.

Part VIII: The Memorial

Look at that

He served his country

Look at that

He died for me.

 

All these names

Memories that never fade

A reminder that war is no game

It’s just something that was made.

 

And people cry

And others bow their heads

And wonder why

Does God allow the dead.

 

A remembrance

More than a mere wall

Here it stands

Affecting us all.

Part IX: Training Day

So hard

Watching them train

Working hard

Enduring the pain.

 

Do they know what lies ahead?

They may be unaware

The helicopter transports the dead

And the enemy doesn’t care.

 

My troops are brave

They are so gung-ho

Utilizing what God gave

And getting ready to go.

 

Half of me is aching

At the thought of where they’re going

But the rest of me is yearning

To be among the fighting.

 

My men are so willing

To die for their country

Such bravery in the making

In every groan of agony.

 

My men will be ready

Under my command

They will serve under me

But they will be a team in a foreign land.

 

There will be no race

No separation of religions

Just brothers in a foreign place

Armed with knowledge and guns.

 

They will leave as young men

All will become soldiers

Because the fight on a foreign land

Will add weight to their shoulders.

 

Many will not make it home

A telegram will greet each widow

But none will die alone

In the midst of battle.

 

This is the day

They will look back to

When the things I say

Will guide them in what they do.

 

And I will promise them

No one gets left behind

I will stand by my men

Even behind enemy lines.

 

I will fight with them

Through pain and shadows

I will not abandon

These future heroes.

Part X

I tucked my daughter in for the night

And then she asked me in a sweet voice

“Daddy, why do you have to fight?”

And I say, “Honey, I have no choice.”

 

Some bad men did wrong

And Daddy has to stop them

And it may be very long

But Daddy will have with him the bravest men.

 

And Daddy will promise to come back

After Daddy is done

Because nothing will hold Daddy back

From being with his lovely Little One.

 

I will come home to Mommy

I will come home to you too

Because you both are very important to me

And going home is what I must do.

 

After the war is over

We shall live happy again

With Stars And Stripes Forever

Hanging over our heads.

 

So don’t you feel sad

Because I have to leave

Instead, be glad

That I’ll have brave soldiers with me.

I’ll say goodbye to you

And say goodbye to Mommy

And when the fighting is through

You will once again see me.

The War Is Over

I wake one morning

To the news playing in the den

A new day is dawning

And good things are yet to happen.

 

I listen and I smile

The fighting is done

The brave soldiers walk the long mile

Into the safety of the sun.

 

And we all can relax a little

Prayers were answered

Life has become a little more comfortable

Because yet another rocky road was traveled.

 

It’s a good day

The war is over

And now we can honestly say

“The War Is Over.”