The body warm,
The body cold,
How is it we were told
That he missed growing old?
Who was he that we could not see:
A man who was willing to die
For his country?

And now in gatherings
Near and far,
Those who served but lived to tell,
Find comfort at the bonded well:
For they were men who were willing to die
For their country

The bond of union
They can see and feel,
Brings forth the shared experience
Of playing the mortal game.
The simple link being:
They were men who were willing to die
For their country

Yet, some say
It’s a quaint and obsolete notion,
To display such emotion
In this time and day:
For there are men who are not willing to die
For their country.

And we who served would reply:
To join the club
You place your life
On the altar of strife, and
You do your best to serve the rest.
And in the end you walk the talk
Or give your life trying:
For we were men who were willing to die
For our country.

Greg Busacker©
April 13, 2016