The soldier kneels down and takes a breath
He looks in the direction he knows his home should be
It's winter, and through the cold and the smell of death
He briefly pictures places and faces, the ones he longs to see

The sailor leans forward on the icy bow
Sends a muffled prayer across the endless sea
Through cold sea spray, bitter winds and hopes some how
It may return to him with warm thoughts of home and family

The Marine stands proud just as all the rest
At times he bunkers down, closes his eyes and tries to see
Beyond the darkness and the bloody mire of this manly test
Hoping for just an instant to catch a glimpse of the way it used to be

The Airman who with wings has conquered the skies
Is surrounded by its infiniteness as far as he can see
He flies above the flames below and the pains and cries
For just a brief minute tries to dream of where he'd rather be

They are all far away from the ones they love
They have all left something they will never see again
That part of them they were growing to be and dreaming of
Left behind as war bells tolled and the hands of time went into a spin

They’ve gone or been taken as many have before
To a place just imagined, that they never dreamed they’d see
They had to leave a young man in mid stride at life’s open door
And said good-bye and become who they had to be

Rearranged, restructured and sat back down with a common destiny
To fight to survive day after day and fight till the fighting’s done
The brightness of glory and honor are marred and tarnished by wars own reality
One that's cold and void of feeling, without reason and don’t mean noth’n

God be with these young hearts of pride
God be with who they've had to become
God be with them on this ghastly ghostly ride
God be with them when this battle's done

God touch those who have gone before
Those who know the pain, the breath and smell
Of death and its domain. The killing fields of war
Those who survived and still live with their time in Hell

They might take these young and damaged souls
Through the unknown cruelty of their predestined after war
As they have to have to tread across the burning coals
Of the bunkered down and guarded warrior behind the cellar door

He still defends against anything that is out of place
With what remains after the life and death of war
Ready to fight everything that threatens his secured space
And inside he cries, hurts and hates and doesn't want to any more

God bless our young soldiers as they return as men
As they learn to deal with loss of youth and pain
Bringing their silent war torn soldier back home with them
The one who still beckons them to remember, time and time again

The unseen fighter who learned to survive so well
With intelligence and tact that now keeps the world at bay
Believing and acting on the premise, he must fight to stay alive in hell
He finds isolation, being sad and alone are his safest place to stay

God bring those to these young men who understand and see
And have learned to live with memories that will remain
And have faced that warrior, the one never told that he was free
God send help to those that still have yet to see
A Tiger They Must Tame

Monty Fisher
Vietnam Veteran

Go to 12.Ministry of Peace and VIETNAM, KOREAN & GULF WARS

JFK ... THIS NATION'S SON, by Monty Fisher

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