Here is a tribute to another Marine. My nephew wrote it after talking to Dad’s other Grandchildren and it is a compilation of their experience watching Dad die.
By the way, he requested before he died that the Marine Hymn be played as his casket was rolled out of church.
The Greatest Generation
It came as no shock when I heard the news;
There was no other way for him to choose.
The disease had gotten the best of him;
The odds of getting better were slim.
He’d made his peace, he’d prepared for the end;
He was only hanging on for his family and friends.
We had to let him go and understand;
It hurt for someone to just hold his hand.
I had to see him so I stopped in;
To tell him how much I thought of him.
I found him sleeping when I arrived;
And quietly sat in a chair by his side.
He seemed to be out of pain at long last;
As I sat there my mind drifted off to the past.
I thought of him growing up as a boy;
This man who has brought us so much joy.
He’d joined the Marines and defended this nation;
He was part of the greatest generation.
And as a marine he lived his life;
“Semper fi” to God, country, and wife.
He lived in a time when a man held to his word:
And taking God out of anything just wasn’t heard.
A man of conviction, an anchor was he;
For his children and their families.
I thought of the fun that we had on vacations;
And the pride that I felt at his ordination.
A deacon, a wise man, my mentor, my friend;
With sage advice when my heart had to mend.
When he had no answers he’d say , “I don’t know;”
“Let’s both find out and together we’ll grow.”
It was this part of him I admired the most;
I was taught to be humble and never to boast.
These thoughts overwhelmed me, I started to cry;
“I’m not ready for this, I don’t want you to die.”
My sobbing awoke him from his sleep;
“Don’t cry for me, “he said, “please don’t weep.”
“Please don’t worry, it’ll be okay;”
“We’ll see each other again someday.”
I thought to myself, “I know that we will;”
“But you’re leaving a void that no one can fill.”
I thought, “This wasn’t how I meant it to be;”
“I want to console you but you comfort me.”
But that’s who he is, brave and strong to the end;
I’ll miss you my anchor, my mentor, my friend.
He helped me wipe the tears from my eyes;
We sat and talked, then said our goodbyes.
As I left I thought, “what will become of this nation;”
“When we lose the last of the greatest generation?”
That is just beautiful.Thanks for posting it.