In honor and to remember our troops and their families, I offer you 3 different perspectives: a bystander, parents, and a child. 

 

Whenever I see a Soldier Boy

Whenever I see a soldier boy

No matter where it be

I give him salutation

for he means so much to me

 

He’s not the boy we used to know

In store, at desk or plow

He’s a defender of our faith

He’s in the service now

 

He keeps Old Glory flying

on land and air and sea

He lives to make our homes secure

He dies to keep us free.

by Sam Miller, 1942

 

Yesterday We Were Parents

Yesterday we were parents

We were called mom and dad

I sat and watched the news today

How times over there turned bad

 

A fear welled up inside me

A chill ran down my spine

The USS Cole was bombed

And she held a son of mine

 

Fear ripped through my heart

As I searched for any news

Part of me not wanting to know

Part needing to know the truth

 

I called up my husband

And told him what I heard

He rushed right home to hold me

Not able to say a word

 

We started calling the Navy

Our fate was in their hands

It was her who took him to

That Eastern foreign land

 

It was his call to duty

To honor, serve and protect

A call to duty so many of us

Now seem too easily neglect

 

We have to call back later

No answers can they provide

Don’t they realize how that response

Tears me up inside

 

Now there is a number

For all the “next of kin”

That phrase will forever haunt me

And make my blood run thin

 

…Yesterday we were mom and dad

for right now we still don’t know

if we’ll ever hear those names

or drown in heartbreak and sorrow…

by Michelle Keim

Commander of Royersford VFW Post 6341 in Pennsylvania

U.S.S. Cole

 

 

Lucky

From Reveille to Taps…The Culture of an Army Child and Family”

I never live somewhere too long.

I never planted a tree and watched it grow.

I never know where I will be next week.

I never wore hi-fashion clothes.

I never became “part of the crowd.”

 

There are other things I’ve never done.

I never was afraid to speak freely.

I never was scared to show my religion.

I never worried about unjust laws being made.

I never left flowers at a loved one’s grave,

who died so I might be free.

I never forget how lucky I am.

by Kimberly Anne Davis, age 14, 2 November 1997

 

The poems were selected to share from: www.usmemorialday.org

 

Deborah Ann Fox, CPA is working to make a difference in peoples lives and wallets, by helping them build and protect their financial health. Her mission is to be an affordable & accessible resource to help answer money questions for individuals and small business. She can help by being your compass while you captain your ship.

Debbie offers free 30 minute no obligation consultations and is available for appointments – including remote. More information is available at http://www.debfoxfinancial.com. Questions or comments can be sent to debfoxfinancial@gmail.com