Soldiers and politicians: Who serves and who tries to 'service' the people

A SOLDIER DIED TODAY--anon.

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 whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear  his tales no longer,

For old Mike has passed away,

And the world's a  little poorer

For a Soldier 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 Soldier 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 Soldier

Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is  the greatest contribution

To the welfare of our land,

Someone 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 Soldier,

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 Soldier--

His home, his country, his  kin,

Just a common Soldier,

Who would 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 like again.

For when countries are in  conflict,

We find the Soldier'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 SOLDIER DIED  TODAY."