A Soldier Died Today
By Lawrence Vaincourt, RCAF Veteran, Second World War
(c) 1985 A. Lawrence Vaincourt
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast.
He sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of the war that he had fought and the deeds that he had done,
Of the exploits with his buddies, they are heroes, every one.
Tho’ sometimes to his neighbours his tales became a joke,
His Legion buddies listened; they knew whereof he spoke.
But we’ll hear his tales no longer; he has passed away.
The world is much poorer now; A SOLDIER DIED TODAY.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary, uneventful, quiet life,
Held a job, raised a family and quietly went his way;
The world won’t note his passing, Tho’ A SOLDIER DIED TODAY.
When Statesmen leave this earth, their bodies lie in state.
Thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their stories, from the time that they were young.
The passing of a soldier tho’, goes unnoticed and unsung.
It’s so easy to forget them, it was so long ago,
When our young men left for battle, but this we should know.
It was not the politicians with their promises and ploys
Who won for us the freedom that our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with enemies at hand,
Would you want a diplomat with his every shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn we will defend;
His home, his kin, his country; he’ll fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us; we may need his likes again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldiers part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the bureaucrats did start.
If we cannot do him honour while he’s here to hear our praise;
At least let us pay him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say:
Our country is in mourning “A Soldier Died Today”.