Let Us Resolve

A Veteran's Day Poem

Sandra Petersen

Those who fought our battles
Will never scorn the cost
Nor forget the final breaths
Of brothers they have lost.

From crimson beaches bathed with sweat
To jungle heat and flame,
For love of country, they obeyed
And did not serve in shame.

The cries of dying comrades,
The blood so freely given,
Engagements won; when all was done,
The victory cry to Heaven.

Should we spurn the price they paid,
Neglect their hidden wounds
From conflicts waged far from their homes
In foxholes, fields and dunes?

Let us remember with respect
The bravest of the brave,
The vet with scarring memories,
The rows of flags on graves.

Let us resolve with fervent hearts
To keep our liberty,
Defend the right of every man
To break his bonds of tyranny.

May God hold us accountable
If comfort makes us blind
And fills our lives with apathy,
Indifference toward mankind.

Should we forget their sacrifice,
The victory that they shared,
We will deserve the freedom lost
And shackles that we bear.

****************************

In memory of my father and the many others living and dead who have served.






Published by Sandra Petersen

Sandra Petersen is a freelance writer living in Two Harbors, Minnesota. This home educator likes to garden in natural ways using no pesticides. An avid researcher, especially in Civil War and Victorian Londo...  View profile

1 Comments

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  • Michele Starkey10/7/2011

    Sandra - this was lovely. I just told someone else that I finally (!) convinced my dad to participate in the Oral History Program for veterans of foreign wars. I am taking him to the National Purple Heart Hall of Honor next Friday to record his memories from WWII. cheers :)

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