The following poem was written by a Vietnam Veteran in honor of Veterans Day, 2002. He is now a school teacher and asked that his name be kept annoymous, and we will, therefore, respect his wishes in this regard. The words below convey what he, and we all, as Veterans feel, especially about out fallen comrades. Please do not take it or use it without permission. I am sure that he would probably give it, but please asked first. We did......

November 11, 2002

"Be Worthy"

Do not give us medals or ribbons for our death,
For where we are, we cannot wear them, about them we cannot know.
Do not raise flags or hold parades for us,
For where we are, flags and bands cannot go.

We ask but one thing of you, our America, our land -
Of you who asked us to fight:
Please be worthy of the blood we shed,
Be worthy of our eternal night.

Let this be our everlasting, enduring challenge and proclamation:
Be worthy of the tears, loss, pain, and sorrow
The we, our families, and our nation
Have shed for this - your today and tomorrow.

For this, our sacrifice, we ask this and nothing more -
Remember our country, its freedom, and its history.
Let freedom, vigilance, and respect reach from shore to shore.
Do not let our lives and deaths be a mystery.

From Lexington to Gettysburg to the Ardienne Forest, to Bastogne,
To Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, the present, and the future unknown;
Where you, our country has sent us, we have always gone
So that you and we can always call America and freedom our home.

Our blood, our hopes, our lives we gladly pay
So that on our country and its honor there is no stain.
Never let history say,
"They served, cried, bled, and died in vain."

Honor us or remember us, as you will,
But always think first of why we are not here - you, our country
Our plea will always be insistent, quiet, but still:
Please, Please be Worthy.

An Annoymous Vietnam Veteran