Memorial Day...Postscript

This evening, after a lively family meal, I spoke with my Grandsons about Memorial Day and all the angst we feel on this National day of remembrance.  Then we watched the first 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan...a poignant essay of ordinary people doing extraordinary things; the valor, the loss, the grief we all share.  

May God protect our troops and bless our Nation.  bN 

Taps begin.

Taps begin.
Time adds little perspective.

Death in a hostile place, a time not chosen.
Cities hard to pronounce; countries hard to find.
Cause, clarity clouded, confused; hard to recall.

Taps begin.

Time dulls memory. 
Pace pushes people on.
Space vacated, empty, gone.
Place dissolves, no trace; so it seems.

Taps begin.
Time stands still; this I remember. 
Their laughter, their scent.
First smile, first step, first word, first love.
A Friday night; life was simple.
The future, a certain dream, bullet proof; not.

Taps begin.

Time release; tears flow freely.
Pride in lives well lived.
Grieving for lives given; invested and gone.
The loss, the pain; broken plans, broken hearts; shattered.

Taps begin.

Now it is time; whisper their names.
Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen.
Duty, honor, country; their last full measure.
No greater love, their sacrifice.

In peace, now rest.
Forget not, ever.