It's a little early for Veteran's Day, but I wanted to share this poem for several reasons.First - Veteran's Day is coming up, and I believe in honoring our troops. Even when I don't agree with the politics of the this nation, I will always support the men and women that put themselves in harm's way to protect others. Sadly, Veteran's Day I think is becoming more of a day for car sales and getting out of work rather than honoring our nation's heros.
Secondly - In honor of the men of my family that have fought in ever war in this nation, saving the current generation. My father was in the Navy for close to 30 years - fighting through Desert Storm and the Cold War. His father was Army during Vietnam. My mother's father ran away to join the Marines at 16 and fought in the South Pacific during WWII, during which time my grandmother served as an airplane spotter. Mom's stepfather was in the Air Force during WWII. Our family tree contains many more Patriots that have supported this country in times of trouble.
Thirdly - to raise awareness as an archivist of the need to preserve history. So much of what we have learned about the past has come from documents, stories, ephemera, relia, and other means. Sadly, today with so much being digital in origin, we are losing a vital part of our historical record. How much of our history is being deleted? Some may laugh at my email archive going back to the early 90s - but who knows. Maybe one day it will provide insight for someone studying our time in history. I hope others will join me in preserving our digital information for posterity - ensuring our voices continue to tell our stories to those that come after.
Amplify’d from www.theveteranssite.com
In those halcyon days of our youth
When we donned our armorAnd went off to war, singing,
We felt ourselves heroes,
Brave enough to vie with gods.
We believed ourselves men
Whose names would live
Long after our noble victories.
But such dreams never last.
Soon the day comes when fear,
Or some crushing defeat,
Or craven death claims a comrade
And we are changed forever.
War, then, is no longer a game,
Or some fancified dream.
Then the warrior cannot doubt
War’s terrible reality—
And it is very hard
To be bravely borne,
For it enfolds death
And makes the going on,
Seem unendurable.
If we survive war’s reality
And come home again
To live among friends,
To wander again the familiar environs,
We no longer feel at home,
For we who left can not return.
Our spirits have been touched.
Though our bodies are still young,
They are scarred and broken.
They have grown old
And those who loved who we had been
May no longer recognize us,
May not understand our nightmares,
Our impatience with the mundane.
We who have gone to wars
Walk with death at our side.
We know what you do not yet see.
But we can teach you much
About life and death,
Comradeship and duty,
If you listen…
See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/a1gdqp
