Poetry by our Brothers The Veteran by George D. Cael, in recognition of Pearl Harbor Day Who is he, this stalwart man who answered freedom’s call Who left home and friends and family and answered his nation’s call This man who risked all he had or ever hoped to be In foreign land, or in the air, or upon a foreign sea   He, who endured the worst of times and saw his brothers’ fall Who suffered wounds that go so deep, we’ll never see them all Who every time he closes his eyes, the terror still revives Of bleeding men and sinking ships, or flaming planes in firry skies   Most will never be the same, nor could they ever be Not the bright eyed boys, full of life, climbing in your tree Certainly not the ones who died, upon that foreign sod Some of whom were never found, known only to God   He is no different than any other, this man we owe so much He loves his God, his country, and craves his children’s touch Yet, left them all, when called upon, and went into that hell Where he stood the test of fire, facing shot and shell   And let us not forget the girls, the WAFs, the WACs, the WAVEs Or all the sacrifices that they made, and all the lives they saved They of gentle nature, born not to war but born to wife They gave theirs too, and many lost their life   So salute, my friend, that veteran who passes you And take the time, to give them their just due For all the terrors that they have faced, for all that they went thru The price they paid and pay today, they paid that price for you     Brothers by George D. Cael It began at Concord Bridge, and then at Lexington This tradition of American men, doing what must be done From there it spread to Chalmette, and defense of Washington The men who followed Jackson, were all American sons   Then it was up the heights of San Juan Hill, with Teddy at the lead Where many an American mother’s son would fight and die and bleed From there, to Verdun, Chateau Terre and into the Argonne Through mustard gas and exploding shell the soldiers struggled on   Then peace at last or so we thought, till the bombs were dropped on Pearl Then came the hell that we hadn’t sought, and engulfed the whole wide world D-Day came and went, the battle it raged on, from North Africa to Italy Let’s not forget Bastogne, soldiers fell on every front, some buried where they lay   Then finally at last it came, the long sought V-E day, the war in Europe done But now we faced a final test, we had to stop the Rising Sun On island after island, hungry, scared, stricken by disease Soldiers, sailors and marines, fought the secure the tropic seas   V-J day the world proclaimed, at last the world is free, everyone was pleased Then the North Koreans attacked the south, with the help of the Chinese Americans came rushing in, as they had always done As if no war could be fought without American sons   From Inchon to Chosin, through ground not worth the price They lost men to shell and disease, and even some to ice This time no peace would ever come, this action was to police This was a place that like those to come, would never know real peace   Not satisfied, thought those at home, without a war to fight Then they led brave America, into her darkest night In an unknown place called Viet Nam they chose to make their stand Before it was thru it would last twenty years and cost 70,000 men   And again no peace was there to be had, in fact this one ended bad We tucked our tails and ran they say, the truth, it makes us sad Sometimes you just can’t win, in spite of all you do Perhaps I should have said, because of what they do to you.    We fought a Desert Storm they say, with ribbons on the tree Our hearts and souls displayed, for all the world to see Then once again, this time at home, the majestic towers fell Instead of striking hard and fast, we were sent again to hell   Fighting now where others have been, and lost after a long while Why would we chose to do this thing, asks mother, wife and child To enter in where others have been, and lost without a prayer Do we really think that we can do, what they could not do there   To complain is not my reason here, I’m sure you’ll see that clear I come today, in my small way, to say what I hold dear Brothers, that’s what you are to me, for all the things we shared For all the memories we suffer from, and all the things we’ve dared   From Concord’s Bridge, throughout the years, our line, it stretches on And will continue for years to come, until the madness is gone I know that you, just as I, hope never to send my son Yet I pray that on that day, he’ll do as we have done   My Brothers, let me say to you, how much I love you all Let us together remember now, the Brothers that we saw fall And ask the Lord on bended knee, if He would please just let them in And forgive them all of any fall, for the brave men they have been     Who was that Man? by George D. Cael Mamma, who was that man with whom you stopped to chat? I mean the one with the symbol on his hat. Was he a policeman or perhaps a fireman or just someone you knew What was that symbol on his hat that meant so much to you?   No, the mother stopped and answered, smiling at her son I stopped to thank that special man for all that he has done Perhaps he is a fireman or a member of the police, I really do not know I just stopped to thank him for what he did for my niece not long ago   Remember when your cousin Jenny was so sick That man and others like him helped to find a fix That symbol on his hat you see, identifies the man As someone to whom we all can go when we need a helping hand   He and all his Brothers can be found here in our town They are always working wherever a need is found Sometimes they are raising money for this cause or for that You can always tell just who they are by the symbol on their hat   But it is not just the symbol that tells you who they are As they work to help a crippled child to leap across the bar Or to read to listening children gathered at their feet Or help a new young student, his college fees to meet   They go into the schools each year to find a way to help a child Reading to the classes, being a role model and a bringing a smile Into the lives of many kids, who do not have a Dad Trying to help others forget, times that have been bad   The symbol on the hat, you see, is just an outward sign What really identifies them, my son, is their state of mind It is the look in their eyes and the smile upon their face As they work in our town to make it a better place   That is why I stop to chat when I see them on the street To thank them for the way they care, to give them back a treat Just to know that someone cares about the work they do I hope that when you are a man, you will wear that symbol too.