A Passing Hero

A Passing Hero

He was getting dated and portly,
His hair was dropping fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had achieved,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, he perceived.

And tho sometimes to his neighbors
His stories became a tale,
All his buddies listened quietly,
For they knew he did avail.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For old Pard has gone missing,
And the world's a little poorer,
For a Soldier has gone to a greater calling.

He won’t be mourned by many,
Just his offspring and his partner.
For he lived an ordinary life,
Very quiet yet always braver.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were children
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and without fortune.

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of conflict and fighting,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life at war and marching.

While the ordinary warrior,
Who offered up his everything,
Is paid off with a memento,
And perhaps a pension, for the asking.

Or would you want a combatant --
His home, his country, his folks,
Just a common trooper,
Who would fight until he chokes?

Perhaps just a simple caption
In the tabloid that would display:
"OUR GRATEFUL NATION MOURNS,
A GI PERISHED THIS DAY."

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