I came home on army leave in May 1963
Wore my uniform so everyone could see
My neighbor, an 80 year old man with a kind smile
Came out of his house and said can we talk a while
He said did you know I had a son
Who fought in World War 1
He went to Europe to lend a hand
And never came back to this great land
As he started to cry, he wondered aloud why
His only child had to die
Then he talked about how much he missed his son
And how proud he was of what his son had done
Guess the pain of his loss would stay
The hurt had never gone away
He cried some more then said he must go
But these were some things he wanted me to know
As we parted he said take care, I said I would
And that I hoped things for him would always be good
He died before I came home again
But the old man with a kind smile will always be my friend

Warren Mock