MEMORIAL DAY — a day to remember the fallen — those who gave their lives in service to their country. My Mom lost a cousin on that terrible day in June 1944, on the beaches of Normandy. My Uncle James died in 1966 in Vietnam. Uncle Bobby, though not killed in action, served as a corpsman in Port Moresby during World War II. He lost his mind seeing the death that laid around him. He could not function in society and was placed in an asylum. Finally, with new medication and treatments after nearly twenty years he was released but he still couldn’t totally relate in society. He couldn’t drive, hold a job; things we take for granted. Memorial Day is not a day of celebration, but rather a time of reflection.
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The Soldier Has Come Home
Lay the green sod on me
carve my name in stone,
lay the green sod on me
the soldier has come home.
Don’t mourn for me, my darling
don’t cry when I am gone,
don’t mourn for me, my darling
the soldier will come home.
My friends have gone before me
and laid their tired bodies down,
my friends have gone before me
to prepare the resting ground.
Let me go to sleep now,
to march and fight no more,
let me go to sleep now
I’m tired, my body’s sore.
So lay the green sod on me
put the wreath upon my stone,
lay the green sod on me
the soldier has come home.
–Barry Sadler
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Last Full Measure of Devotion
In the long and honored history of America
There are names that shine like beacons in the night
The Patriots whose vision gave us meaning
Who kept the lamp of freedom burning bright
In the long and honored history of America
There are those that paid the last and final price
Who were called upon by chance, or desperate circumstance
To make the ultimate sacrifice
A grateful nation bows its head in sorrow
And in thanks for guaranteeing our tomorrow
The last full measure of devotion
That’s what they gave to the cause
The last full measure of devotion
And though they cannot hear our applause
We honor them forever and keep alive their story
Pay tribute to their lives and give them all the glory
The last full measure of devotion
Beyond the call of duty were their deeds
The last full measure of devotion
They gave themselves to serve the greater need
And for those who did survive
And came back home alive
They join in praise of comrades who were slain
And highly resolve, most higly resolve
That these dead shall not have died in vain.
–unknown