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Just a Simple Soldier

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Posted by "Donald Schepens" <a.schepens@home.com> on Tue, 5 Jun 2001 07:07:30 -0600


JUST A COMMON SOLDIER
(A Soldier Died Today)
by A. Lawrence Vaincourt

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 had 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 Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.

He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though 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 their whole 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
A guy who breaks his promises 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?

A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes 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's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was 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 want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and 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, then 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 a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.

© 1987 A. Lawrence Vaincourt

http://vaincourt.homestead.com/Common_Soldier.html

A. Lawrence Vaincourt, Canadian columnist and author (and WW II veteran of the RCAF), wrote and published this poem back in 1987. It has since been reprinted thousands of times worldwide and appears in dozens of anthologies. Connie Francis just released a recording of it for Veteran's Day 2013.
 
Posted by "Harwood, Steve" <SHarwood@karmax.com> on Tue, 5 Jun 2001 10:01:52 -0400
This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand
this format, some or all of this message may not be legible.
Don, your timing was impecable! I just passed this poem on to a friend who
lost his uncle recently. He was a WW2 Vet with 35 years in the CF. My
friend was very touched by the poem. So am I.

Steve Harwood

Ubique
-----Original Message-----
From: Donald Schepens [mailto:a.schepens@home.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 9:08 AM
To: Army Discussion army-list@CdnArmy.ca
Subject: Just a Simple Soldier

JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER

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 had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies
They were heroes everyone.
And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol‘ Bob 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,
Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
For it is all so long ago.
That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
Went off to battle, but we know.
It was 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,
Who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and Country,
And 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,
Then 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 a simple headline
In the paper that might say
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This message contains information which may be
privileged, confidential or exempt or prohibited from disclosure under
applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended
recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message
to the intended recipient, you are hereby NOTIFIED that any dissemination,
distribution, retention, archiving or copying of this message and/or the
contents thereof is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message
in error or in contravention of the above, please notify the sender
immediately by return e-mail.
Don,
your timing was impecable! I just passed this poem on to a friend who lost
his uncle recently. He was a WW2 Vet with 35 years in the CF. My
friend was very touched by the poem. So am I.
Steve
Harwood
Ubique
-----Original Message-----From: Donald Schepens
[mailto:a.schepens@home.com]Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 9:08
AMTo: Army Discussion army-list@CdnArmy.caSubject: Just
a Simple Soldier

JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER

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 had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies
They were heroes everyone.
And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol‘ Bob 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,
Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
For it is all so long ago.
That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
Went off to battle, but we know.
It was 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,
Who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and Country,
And 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,
Then 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 a simple headline
In the paper that might say

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."


Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999


CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This message contains information which may be privileged, confidential or exempt or prohibited from disclosure under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended recipient, you are hereby NOTIFIED that any dissemination, distribution, retention, archiving or copying of this message and/or the contents thereof is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error or in contravention of the above, please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail.
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@CdnArmy.ca from the account you wish to
remove, with the line "unsubscribe army-list" in the
message body.
 
Posted by Adam Wainwright <ajmw@home.com> on Tue, 05 Jun 2001 17:40:25 -0700
--------------734F244CBB898A5BCCDD84B8
Its is very nice.
Adam
"Harwood, Steve" wrote:
> Don, your timing was impecable! I just passed this poem on to a
> friend who lost his uncle recently. He was a WW2 Vet with 35 years in
> the CF. My friend was very touched by the poem. So am I.Steve
> HarwoodUbique
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Donald Schepens [mailto:a.schepens@home.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 9:08 AM
> To: Army Discussion army-list@CdnArmy.ca
> Subject: Just a Simple Soldier
>
> JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER 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 had fought in
> And the deeds that he had done.
> In his exploits with his buddies
> They were heroes everyone.
> And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
> His tales became a joke,
> All his buddies listened,
> For they knew whereof he spoke.
> But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
> For ol‘ Bob 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,
> Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
> And the style in which he lives,
> Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
> For it is all so long ago.
> That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
> Went off to battle, but we know.
> It was 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,
> Who has sworn to defend
> His home, his kin, and Country,
> And 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,
> Then 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 a simple headline
> In the paper that might say
>
> "OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
> Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This message contains information which may be
> privileged, confidential or exempt or prohibited from disclosure under
> applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended
> recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the
> message to the intended recipient, you are hereby NOTIFIED that any
> dissemination, distribution, retention, archiving or copying of this
> message and/or the contents thereof is strictly prohibited. If you
> have received this message in error or in contravention of the above,
> please notify the sender immediately by return e-mail.
>
--------------734F244CBB898A5BCCDD84B8
Its is very nice.
Adam
"Harwood, Steve" wrote:
Don,
your timing was impecable! I just passed this poem on to a friend
who lost his uncle recently. He was a WW2 Vet with 35 years in the
CF. My friend was very touched by the poem. So am I.Steve
HarwoodUbique
-----Original
Message-----
From: Donald Schepens [mailto:a.schepens@home.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001
9:08 AM
To: Army Discussion army-list@CdnArmy.ca
Subject: Just a Simple Soldier
JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIERHe 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 had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies
They were heroes everyone.
And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol‘ Bob 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,
Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
For it is all so long ago.
That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
Went off to battle, but we know.
It was 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,
Who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and Country,
And 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,
Then 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 a simple headline
In the paper that might say
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE:
This message contains information which
may be privileged, confidential or exempt or prohibited from disclosure
under applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended
recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the message
to the intended recipient, you are hereby NOTIFIED
that any dissemination, distribution,
retention, archiving or copying of this message and/or the contents thereof
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error or in
contravention of the above, please notify the sender immediately by return
e-mail.
--------------734F244CBB898A5BCCDD84B8--
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@CdnArmy.ca from the account you wish to
remove, with the line "unsubscribe army-list" in the
message body.
 
Posted by Juno847627709@aol.com on Tue, 5 Jun 2001 20:59:21 EDT
I agree.
Who has the Liberal Party email address?
LOL
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@CdnArmy.ca from the account you wish to
remove, with the line "unsubscribe army-list" in the
message body.
 
Posted by "Donald Schepens" <a.schepens@home.com> on Tue, 5 Jun 2001 22:00:20 -0600
It really does touch something doesn‘t?
Don
----- Original Message -----
From: Harwood, Steve
To: ‘army-list@CdnArmy.ca‘
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 8:01 AM
Subject: RE: Just a Simple Soldier
Don, your timing was impecable! I just passed this poem on to a
friend who lost his uncle recently. He was a WW2 Vet with 35 years in
the CF. My friend was very touched by the poem. So am I.

Steve Harwood

Ubique
-----Original Message-----
From: Donald Schepens [mailto:a.schepens@home.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 9:08 AM
To: Army Discussion army-list@CdnArmy.ca
Subject: Just a Simple Soldier
JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER
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 had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies
They were heroes everyone.
And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol‘ Bob 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,
Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
For it is all so long ago.
That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
Went off to battle, but we know.
It was 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,
Who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and Country,
And 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,
Then 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 a simple headline
In the paper that might say
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This message contains information which may be
privileged, confidential or exempt or prohibited from disclosure under
applicable law. If the reader of this message is not the intended
recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the
message to the intended recipient, you are hereby NOTIFIED that any
dissemination, distribution, retention, archiving or copying of this
message and/or the contents thereof is strictly prohibited. If you have
received this message in error or in contravention of the above, please
notify the sender immediately by return e-mail.
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
It really does touch something
doesn‘t?
Don
----- Original Message -----
From:
Harwood,
Steve
To: ‘army-list@CdnArmy.ca‘
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001
8:01
AM
Subject: RE: Just a Simple
Soldier

Don,
your timing was impecable! I just passed this poem on to a
friend who
lost his uncle recently. He was a WW2 Vet with 35 years in the
CF.
My friend was very touched by the poem. So am I.

Steve Harwood

Ubique

-----Original Message-----From: Donald Schepens
[mailto:a.schepens@home.com]Sent:
Tuesday, June 05, 2001 9:08 AMTo: Army Discussion
army-list@CdnArmy.caSubject: Just a Simple
Soldier

JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER

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 had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies
They were heroes everyone.
And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol‘ Bob 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,
Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
For it is all so long ago.
That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
Went off to battle, but we know.
It was 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,
Who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and Country,
And 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,
Then 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 a simple headline
In the paper that might say

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."


Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999


CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE:
This message contains information which may be
privileged,
confidential or exempt or prohibited from disclosure under applicable
law. If
the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the
employee or
agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended
recipient, you
are hereby NOTIFIED
that any dissemination, distribution, retention,
archiving
or copying of this message and/or the contents thereof is strictly
prohibited.
If you have received this message in error or in contravention of the
above,
please notify the sender immediately by return
e-mail.
--------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: To remove yourself from this list, send a message
to majordomo@CdnArmy.ca from the account you wish to
remove, with the line "unsubscribe army-list" in the
message body.
 
Posted by "John Gow" <jgow@home.com> on Wed, 6 Jun 2001 00:37:49 -0400
An understanding of our grandmothers, grandfathers, parents and
ourselves...
And for those of us who have served, well, again, that, too..we will not
speak that about ourselves, but respect it in everyone of our fellow
servicemen and women...
Thanks, Don, for bringing it up...
John
----- Original Message -----
From: Donald Schepens
To: army-list@CdnArmy.ca
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001 12:00 AM
Subject: Re: Just a Simple Soldier
It really does touch something doesn‘t?
Don
----- Original Message -----
From: Harwood, Steve
To: ‘army-list@CdnArmy.ca‘
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 8:01 AM
Subject: RE: Just a Simple Soldier
Don, your timing was impecable! I just passed this poem on to a
friend who lost his uncle recently. He was a WW2 Vet with 35 years in
the CF. My friend was very touched by the poem. So am I.
Steve Harwood
Ubique
-----Original Message-----
From: Donald Schepens [mailto:a.schepens@home.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 9:08 AM
To: Army Discussion army-list@CdnArmy.ca
Subject: Just a Simple Soldier
JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER
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 had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies
They were heroes everyone.
And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol‘ Bob 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,
Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
For it is all so long ago.
That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
Went off to battle, but we know.
It was 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,
Who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and Country,
And 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,
Then 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 a simple headline
In the paper that might say
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."
Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE: This message contains information which may be
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recipient, or the employee or agent responsible for delivering the
message to the intended recipient, you are hereby NOTIFIED that any
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notify the sender immediately by return e-mail.
An understanding of our grandmothers,
grandfathers,
parents and ourselves...
And for those of us who have served,
well, again,
that, too..we will not speak that about ourselves, but respect it in
everyone of
our fellow servicemen and women...
Thanks, Don, for bringing it
up...
John
----- Original Message -----
From:
Donald
Schepens
To: army-list@CdnArmy.ca
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001
12:00
AM
Subject: Re: Just a Simple
Soldier

It really does touch something
doesn‘t?

Don

----- Original Message -----
From:
Harwood,
Steve
To: ‘army-list@CdnArmy.ca‘
Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001
8:01
AM
Subject: RE: Just a Simple
Soldier

Don, your timing was impecable! I
just passed
this poem on to a friend who lost his uncle recently. He was a
WW2 Vet
with 35 years in the CF. My friend was very touched by the
poem. So am
I.

Steve Harwood

Ubique

-----Original Message-----From: Donald
Schepens [mailto:a.schepens@home.com]Sent:
Tuesday, June 05, 2001 9:08 AMTo: Army Discussion
army-list@CdnArmy.caSubject: Just a Simple
Soldier

JUST A SIMPLE SOLDIER

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 had fought in
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies
They were heroes everyone.
And ‘tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.
But we‘ll hear his tales no longer,
For ol‘ Bob 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,
Quietly going 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 the 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 politicians stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Is sometimes 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‘s so easy to forget them,
For it is all so long ago.
That our Bob‘s and Jim‘s and Johnny‘s
Went off to battle, but we know.
It was 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,
Who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin, and Country,
And 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,
Then 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 a simple headline
In the paper that might say

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING, FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."


Author Unknown, Memorial Day 1999


CONFIDENTIALITY NOTE:
This message contains information which may be
privileged,
confidential or exempt or prohibited from disclosure under
applicable law.
If the reader of this message is not the intended recipient, or the
employee
or agent responsible for delivering the message to the intended
recipient,
you are hereby NOTIFIED that any dissemination, distribution,
retention, archiving
or copying of this message and/or the contents thereof is strictly
prohibited. If you have received this message in error or in
contravention
of the above, please notify the sender immediately by return
e-mail.
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