Although we may play with toy soldiers in this hobby, we recognize that it is a bloodless pursuit with no consequence. Nevertheless, it is well that we pause at this time of year to recognize the reality of the stakes involved for those who made the ultimate sacrifice in military service, past, present, and future.
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"Bury Me With Soldiers" A poem written by the Rev. Charles R. Fink, a Roman Catholic Priest of St. Philip Neri’s Church in Northport, NY who served in Vietnam from March 1969 to March 1970 as a Sergeant in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade.
....A powerful version of the Rev Fink's verse set to song by Micheal Oneal
Excerpt:...
The troops I know were commonplace;
They didn’t want the war
They fought because their fathers and
Their father’s fathers had before.
They cursed and killed and wept –
God knows they’re easy to deride –
But bury me with men like these;
They faced the guns and died.
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As a (now) old soldier, the Rev Fink's lines resonate more every year.
A very emotive and evocative song Ed...
ReplyDeleteWhich highlights the a fact that is often forgotten...
We are remembering the men and women who have given their lives in all wars not just The Great War...
We must remember them.
All the best. Aly
Hi Aly, It's an eclectic few (sadly) who know the actual Great War history linked to what is now known and observed more generally as "Veterans Day" here in the US (although when I was growing up, it wasn't unusual to hear it still referred to as "Armistice Day" by some). Of course, the impact of the Great War on national memory here is very different than in Europe and the UK, reasonably so. The centennial has brought more general public awareness of the place of the Great War in our history, though.
DeleteBest
“Soldiers above all others pray for peace...”
ReplyDelete