A Poem Worth Reading

I wish I could take credit for this poem, but I’m no poet. This was sent to me by a fellow veteran and now I share it with you. All I ask is that you share this with everyone you know in memory of a veteran.

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 buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Joe has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Veteran 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 Veteran 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 Veteran
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 Veteran,
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 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 Veteran
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Veteran,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Veteran,
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 Veteran'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 VETERAN DIED TODAY."

PLEASE pass On The Patriotism! YOU can make a difference. If you are proud of our Vets, then send this to them. You'll be glad you did. Then send it to ALL your friends. Thank you and GOD bless you.

U.S. Navy Then and Now

Then	Now
If you smoked, you had an ashtray on your desk	If you smoke, you get sent outside and treated like a leper, if you're lucky
Mail took weeks to come to the ship	If the ship is near land, there's a mob topside to see if their cell phones work.
If you left the ship it was in Blues or Whites, even in home port	The only time you wear Blues or Whites is for ceremonies
You wore bell bottoms everywhere on the ship	Bell Bottoms are gone and 14 yr-old girls wear them everywhere
You wore a Dixie cup all day, with every uniform	It's not required and you have a choice of different hats
Say "DAMN," people knew you were annoyed and avoided you	Say "DAMN," you'd better be talking about a hydro electric plant
The Ships Office yeoman had a typewriter on his desk for doing daily reports	Everyone has a computer with Internet access and they wonder why no work is getting done
We painted pictures of pretty girls on airplanes to remind us of home	We put the real thing in the cockpit
Your girlfriend was at home, praying you would return alive	She is on the same ship, praying your condom worked
If you got drunk off duty, your buddies would take you back to the ship so you could sleep it off	If you get drunk off duty, they slap you in rehab and ruin your career
Canteens were made out of steel and you could heat coffee or hot Chocolate in them	Canteens are made of plastic, you can't heat them because they'll melt, and anything inside always tastes like plastic
Our top officers were professional sailors first; they commanded respect	Our top officers are politicians first; they beg not to be given a wedgie
They collected enemy intelligence and analyzed it	They collect our pee and analyze it
If you didn't act right, they'd put you on extra duty until you straightened up	If you don't act right, they start a paper trail that follows you forever
Medals were awarded to heroes who saved lives at the risk of their own	Medals are awarded to people who show up for work most of the time
You slept in a barracks, like a soldier	You sleep in a dormitory, like a college kid
You ate in a Mess Hall or Galley; it was free and you could have all the food you wanted	You eat in a Dining Facility; every slice of bread or pat of butter costs, and you can only have one
If you wanted to relax, you went to the Rec Center, played pool, smoked and drank beer	You go to the Community Center and can still play pool, maybe
If you wanted a quarter beer and conversation, you could go to the All Hands or Chief's or Officer's Club	The beer will cost you three dollars and someone is watching to see how much you drink.
The Exchange had bargains for sailors who didn't make much money	You can get better merchandise and cheaper at Wal-Mart
If an Admiral wanted to make a presentation, he scribbled down some notes and a YN spent an hour preparing a bunch of charts	The Admiral has his entire staff spending days preparing a Power Point Presentation
We called the enemy things like "Commie Bastards" and "Reds" because we didn't like them	We call the enemy things like "Opposing Forces" and "Aggressors or Insurgents" so we won't offend them
We declared victory when the enemy was dead and all his things were broken	We declare victory when the enemy says he is sorry and won't do it again
A commander would put his butt on the line to protect his people	A commander will put his people on the line to protect his butt