Veterans Day 2020
The Post will conduct Veterans Day activities at the Frost Free Library on Wednesday, 11 November beginning at 11:00 AM. The public is invited, personal masks and social distancing guidance will be in effect. The following poem was passed to the Post from Rufus Frost. It is reprinted here in honor of all veterans.
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.”