A Day to Remember

by
Michael Marks

Herndon, Virginia

In crimson hue the missiles flew and cracked the sky asunder,
while mortars tolled, explosions rolled and shook the ground like thunder.
Yet in the midst of rockets roar a figure stood alone,
a grizzled sergeant gazing on the field with eyes of stone.

He'd heard before the mortars roar in jungles far away,
and left his blood there in the mud where fallen comrades lay.
And when it seemed the gates of hell itself had opened wide,
when every fiber of his being had screamed to run and hide,
he held his ground and duty bound to country and to Corps
he faced the final sacrifice as many had before.

A sudden movement in the night broke through his reverie,
to drive away old memories he'd just as soon not see.
On trembling legs a breathless figure dashed across the street
collapsing on the ground before the grizzled sergeant's feet.

"Oh Grandpa did you see 'em?" asked the boy with shining eyes,
"the fireworks are really cool, they almost fill the skies!"
The sergeant smiled and hugged the boy, a moment most sublime.
"You bet I did" the sergeant said, "I've seen them many times."

Then with a kiss on Grandpa's cheek he jumped and dashed away.
Returning to the magic that was Independence Day.
And with a gentle sigh the sergeant, flanked on either side
by sons and daughters, hugged his wife, now thirty years his bride.

He raised his eyes to heaven where the flag now proudly flew,
majestic in her billowing of red and white and blue.
With hand upon his brow he stood once more in proud salute,
His love for God and Country ever strong and absolute.

And thinking back upon those nights so full of pain and fear,
when locked in mortal combat he was sure his end was near;
He said a prayer of thanks that God had seen to pull them through
And given him a life that those who'd fallen never knew.

With humble heart he took his place with patriots of lore,
And shared an oath with every soldier that had gone before.
Should 'eer the call arise to stand for nation, God and friends...
He knew from deep within his heart he'd do it all again.

http://15thengineer.50megs.com/poems.htm

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As for who I am, well, the best I can lay claim to is a very patriotic and thankful American. I was a twelve-year-old when Vietnam ended. I turned eighteen in the midst of Carter dismantling our Armed Forces. I turned out to be the kid that every soldier fought and bled for, the "kid who could grow up in peace." It has been a gift that I did not earn nor deserve, and I fear that little in my life measures up to what was bought for me at so high a price. By the time Desert Storm rolled around I found that, in terms of joining the military, I was considered long in the tooth (I took the ASVAB and it said I should have been in the intelligence service, but they wanted younger guys with a longer shelf life!) So I just try to grab every chance I can to support our troops and, in a sense, watch their backs here at home while they are away. I was very vocal in the election 2000 process when Al Gore suggested that military votes should not count -- if anybody in this nation should be given preference and easy access to the political process, it is those who stand and defend it. That sentiment was very strongly expressed in the last lines of A Soldier's Christmas:

"His eye welled with a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget
to fight for our rights back home while we're gone;
to stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
to know you remember we fought and we bled
is payment enough, and with that we will trust
that we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

I guess the bottom line is that I'm the guy who has made it his mission to make sure people remember. It's my watch -- not in the line of fire, not on some distant piece of sand -- but it's the watch life dealt me and I intend to do it right. Small service, but it's the best I have to give.

Best regards,

Mike

In loving appreciation of the countless Americans who have and continued to serve in the Armed Forces and those who gave their lives for their country. Your sacrifices will never be forgotten. We look forward to the day you come home. God bless and keep you always, and God Bless America.

Michael