Fair winds and following seas brother!
A SAILOR DIED TODAY!
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he once fought in.
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his shipmates;
They were heroes, every one.
And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his shipmates listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For he has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
FOR A SAILOR DIED TODAY.
He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'THO A SAILOR DIED TODAY.
When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Sailor
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?
The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.
While the ordinary Sailor,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.
It is not the politicians
With their compromise and their ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?
Or would you want a Sailor--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Sailor,
Who would fight until the end.
He was just a common Sailor,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his likes again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Sailor's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline
In the paper that might say:
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SAILOR DIED TODAY."
This was posted on Facebook on May 27, 2022, by Master Chief Peter T. Yeschenko. Thank you, Master Chief, for sharing.
