Upon his chest hanged many medals,
to guide the viewers eyes.
The ribbons crowned by different hues,
worn without disguise.
His gait was strong and powerful.
This man of twenty-one,
that served his country valiantly,
another mother's son.
I watched with pride as he walked by,
as teardrops filled my eyes.
Then looked to heaven for a sign,
perhaps an angel by his side.
I thought of my possessions,
the greed that seeps through me.
Then hung my head in shame,
for that uniform keeps me free.
And that young man just flew on by,
across that storied sky.
That angel now beside him.
That uniform filled with guts and pride.
By Bob Fox
t
A contest entry
- Tribute To Anyone by misticmoonlite.
450 points, ended June 20, 2008, 10 entries
Silver trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 32 of 32
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i love this piece i was surprised i hadnt read it yet i love your writing you know that my uncle was in nam he was a left behind pow he did make it back 3 years after the war was over and seemingly forgotten he came home to his parents front yard and them saying they didnt believe it was him tests later we had my uncle back only to have him die in 99 to agent orange i miss him they sacrifice so much to get so little in return
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Aww Bob!!!
This poem so deserved an award, it quite brings tears to my eyes and is so apt at this time of year. I have to admit that war frightens me, lol, I'm human but sometimes we have no choice and we should look on with pride at those who fight for us!
Cherry
xxx
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My Friend
I normally do not leave my comment for other readers to see. But I feel I must now. We are seeing more service people die in these wars now then ever before & for some reason the media, save Fox news, has been kind of silent on this issue. There are no flag drapped coffins being shown by ABC, CBS & NBC like there was a year ago & that tells me much about their priorities. That being said & the war in Afghanistan not going well I have to ask this...Do we really want to see these fanatical terrorist with nukes? And how many are aware that if we fail in Afghanistan that Pakistan we become the center stage for terrorist or that Pakistan has between 50 & 80 nukes. In the hands of the terrorist where do you think they will point too? 3 places for sure... USA . Britain & of course Israel. Are we all so blind I wonder? -
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Dear Bob
Every word of your comment is soo true, in the UK our hero's are at last receiving some acknowledgement for dying for their country but there is still a long way to go when you consider that the majority of them would not have died if Brown had not kept reducing the defence budget. In so doing these brave men and women were sent out there poorly armed and often had to buy essentials from US troops. Mothers are now getting together to send parcels out to their children on the front line as they are not even provided with adoquate toiletries and other basic essentials. Why send the young to die in this manner?? Brown would not risk his own life in this manner but he doesn't think twice about the lives of this young brave generation!
Terrorism should be fought not just by these brave youngsters but at home too, yet known terrorists are continually allowed to say and do what they like falling back on the 'human rights bill' as a buffer for their evil while at the same time laughing at how foolish our legal system is!
It frightens me so much but I have to admit you are totally right about the Middle East, it is a time bomb already ticking and we should be preparing not looking the other way. We watch Fox News as they give an unbiased view of the world, we gave up with the BBC a long time ago, they have pulled a veil over their eyes.
I pray each day for peace and sanity to return to the world, if it ever existed!
God Bless you Bob, all we can do is put our faith and Him!
Cherry xxx
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aww this is rellii guuud lol love it hahaaaa xxx
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Can't say much to this... really had me sobbing by the last line.
Brought both my aunts in for a read as well and now they are both teared up.
Such a wonderful poem, such a heartfelt and beautiful poem.
Great Write friend!
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this one spoke volumes to my heart for I love the solder who went to war .so we might live in freedom's eye.. the price so dear paid and a mother cries.. you have penned a heart of purple and your words touch the core in my soul.. thank you for sharing your awesome heart, mind and pen Hugs always Angel♥♥
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How true your words! This is fantastic! One can feel your love and pride in this one! You did a great job on this one!
and love
Nyetta
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This is a beautiful dedication of appreciation of our fallen warriors for freedom. They are the keepers of life,liberty and the pursuit of happiness as our own brave keeps of freedom. And whoever's military we see ,deserves that respect too. Some serve because they want to,some because they must. Yet all are sovernty's keepers, serving above and beyond call to duty. They merit the best from us.Sorry,I couldn't resist.I detest wars,but where diplomacy has worn it's self out in trying.
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PIF With A Salute
The comment you left for me lead me to seek out a "salute our soldiers" write from you... well I found one and I am not at all disappointed.
While reading this poem, I felt it flow freely from my tongue... You've mastered keeping my attention (at times, it's not hard to lose it). I like how you mentioned the soldier's dress, and all the medals and ribbons his uniform adorned. I can picture it looking much like my fiance's... every time I see it, I am reminded of what he's done for us all. I am proud, so proud of them.
The end nearly brought dampness to my eyes, he had passed. Wow.. not what I expected. Thank you for taking the time to pen this. I am extremely happy that I fell upon it.
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Great poem Bob
This poem would fit tens of thousands of our boys and girls in our armed forces.
Hopefully a way will be found soon to bring them home again. I too am humbled by the sacrifices they are asked to make.
Again, beautiful tribute to them.
Regards,
John-Las Vegas, Nevada
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so sad
For some reason I can't help but think you lost someone close to you. My father is getting ready to leave for afganistan and even though he is an officer and will be safe behind a desk lol I can't help but be frighten by what could happen to him. You words are beautiful! I love this poem I sincerly hope you win you deserve to!
this is my fav part!
I watched with pride as he walked by,
as teardrops filled my eyes.
Then looked to heaven for a sign,
perhaps an angel by his side.
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Excellent write and so true
I so pray for all our men and women standing for our freedom and knowing they are the best of the best always
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Right on. There is nothing more honorable then serving your country. Politics aside, it is they who fight for the ideals we so easily speak of. Therefore, they deserve our highest respect and esteem. Some of my best (and worst) memories came while I was wearing a uniform of my own.
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this is an excellent piece Bob makes us all think.I could picture the man very clearly so very well done with this great piece
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AWESOME!
That was just amazing brought alot of things back to mind for me -
Bravo!!!
Best of luck in this contest!!! Peace, Cyn
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"His gait was strong and powerful.
This man of twenty-one,
that served his country valiantly,
another mother's son."
We should feel nothing but pride for the service of our brave men and women in uniform. They have always done whatever they were asked, no matter the cost. I just want those who make decisions about the need for war to take just a moment to think about the mothers/fathers/wives/husbands/children who will sacrifice their loved one in service to their country. And I pray that these leaders would ask, before the first shot is fired, "Will the rewards of the battle truly be worth the lives that will be lost?"
I pray that angels always surround our soldiers and that we continue to hold them in our thoughts and prayers with honor and pride. Wonderful sentiments, Bob, about a topic we should all hold dear.
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I really enjoyed this especially since i have a friend serving in iraq as we speak! make me cry! great write and good luck in the contest
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So Beautiful. And Heartfelt
Dear Bob, I can feel how mucg h emotion you had in this poem. It truly touched my heart my friend. They do sacrifice everything and ask nothing in return but a simple thank you. Thank you for always honoring our men and women, past and present who wear the uniform of freedom. God Bless you. Take care.
Sandy
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So touching!! We don't stop often enough to think of what these young men give for other's freedom!
Wonderful write Bob!
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GREAT!
I hope I can get as great as you someday. Keep up the craetive writing! Do you publish any books?
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This is a good poem. I can see your feeling through your writing.
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so full of heart and spirit and humility -- ~ Bob you wrote a beautiful poem here. LOVE, prettypoetry ♥
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I can just see the soldier walking proudly on by in a crisp uniform fully decorated. I read this as if you are seeing a vision of this soldier who represents all servicemen, as he his flown across a storied sky and now has an angel beside him.
I particularly like the third stanza. It says so much about the contrast between a soldier who sacrifices everything for his countrymen in war; yet on parade is viewed by those very countrymen he fought for and who unwittingly live with greed. It makes me wonder what our troops must think at times, of the people they fight for.
Crit: The flow was really good in throughout most of the poem but you lost it in the last line with too many syllables.
A sensitive tribute to an un-named soldier. Well done.
alby
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A wonderful tribute to those,as you rightly said, leep us free. It seems that life is a continual fight for freddom wherever we are.
All the best with this beautiful piece and the proud sentiments within it.
Gaylene
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Hi
Ty so much. I think at times , those we good intentions I hope, allow themselves to be blinded by negativity from the media & not see the great job & sacrifice our troops are making
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Beautiful.
So first off thank you for the read, and the supportive comment. And next wow! This poem blows mine out of the water. It's a great piece, good luck and I look forward to reading more of your poetry.
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As the last comment said, very honorable. I've always had a negative attitude to anything involving war, soldiers, and such, but you DO have to give them a huge amount of credit. We're all human, and the fighting will never end, no matter what. This poem creates a nice visual and a very positive view of the man in uniform.
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STanding Ovation!!!!!!!!!
What an honorable tribute to the men and women who wear the uniform!!!! I wish everyone would write at least one tribute for a soldier and it was posted on the internet fr them to at least have a sense of pride in what they do for us and what they have and are still doing for the advancement of freedom in other countries!!!Thanks for sharing this Bob you deserve many more than three applauses for this wonderful piece of beautiful poetry!!!~~Toni~~
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good luck in contest Bob.
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oh Wow!
This did take my breathe away, it made me smile with pride and then cried as I saw the end, thank you for this entry and the best of luck to you
Lin
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