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To: All
Why Are You Marching Son?
I'd really like to know,

Because of Valley forge
or perhaps the Alamo
or one if by land, two if by sea,
a trumpets call, or a will to be free

What of a man who
stood straight and tall
Who wept silent tears,
when he saw brave men fall
No matter, no difference
the blue or the gray
All were his brothers
how often he'd pray
What of Antietam, that
now peaceful stream,
where the waters blood red
glittered and gleamed
Appomattox, Chickamauga,
Vicksburg, Bullrun,
Cumberland, Gettsyburg,
then Washington

Why Are You Marching Son?

In Flander field...how proud were they
whose forms beneath the poppies lay.
Men who saw Verdun,
died at the Marne...Soisson...
And those who tried the
the fearful foe Chateau-Thierry
Who fought and bled...
whose hearts grew weary
But in whose minds,
one thought kept churning...
That the torch of
liberty keep burning

Why Are You Marching Son?

The planes swarmed in...
and the rising sun
Glowed fiercely
on the evil gun
Men whose blood runs
through our veins
Men who died, and whose remains
lie forever locked in waters deep
Now is it right that
they should sleep
While the warm sea
laps at a twisted hull
And see the torch
of liberty grow dull ?
Anzio...Casino...and the Po!,
St Mere-Eglise...LeMans...St Low!
Gardenlagen...Buchenwald
On and on the roll
is called! And why?

Why Are You Marching Son?

Bugles shrilled in the frozen night
and at first dawn, the awful site
Seas of men...row after row,
Left to die on blood stained snow
Pusan...Pyongyang...Suwan...Kyongju!
and blood-red ran the swift Yalu

In South Vietnam the big guns roared
and once again we fought a war
To honor a pledge our nation gave
to help that little country save
Her people from the certainty
that she'd be ruled by tyranny

No matter were
the big guns roar
Our fighting men,
like those before
Take up the torch
we all held dear
And face freedom's
enemies with out fear
Our fathers died
from sea to sea
And blessed the
torch of liberty

Why? Why Are You Marching Son?
170 posted on 11/11/2002 3:10:31 PM PST by knighthawk
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To: knighthawk
Wonderful, touching poem......thank you.
176 posted on 11/11/2002 3:43:37 PM PST by OldFriend
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 170 | View Replies ]

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