No matter how foolish nor noble the casus belli,
I sincerely express nothing but honor and thankfulness
For the brave men and women, past and present;
Who have given their last full measure of devotion
To our once and future Great Republic…
Many men, women, and friends in my life have served,
And thankfully only a few have fallen
So I honor their memory, this last Monday of May
But there are countless others not so fortunate
And to you, in my larger sphere of contact
That have lost closer souls in your lives;
I wish to express my spirit of shared fondness
And sorrow, for the absence you may feel on this occasion
I pray we someday rise as a nation to make these sacrifices unnecessary
But for the present I ask us all to consider –
To not only meditate on the courage of the fallen, but for the suffering
Of soldiers and family, that our Republic’s leaders are causing
Promising to care for the bodies and minds
Of our boys and girls who make it home
Then failing to deliver so completely
Is a stain on their glory, their sacrifice, their devotion –
A dereliction of decency, made worse by shrouding the failure
With a plague of yellow ribbons
For freedom is not free – I concede,
But neither is a repaired life or limb – for a family fractured
By the wicked greed of wealthy men,
And the corruption that controls them
Western Liberal - Looking Eastward 