Songs, Poems, and Pics to Commemorate the Armed Forces

I've got a bright red sticker on the back of my car,
Says: "United States Marines."
An' yesterday a lady in a mini-van,
Held up her middle finger at me.
Does she think she knows what I stand for,
Or the things that I believe?
Just by looking at a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

See, my brother Chris, he's been in,
For more than 14 years now.
Our Dad was in the Navy during Vietnam,
Did his duty, then he got out.
And my Grandpa earned his Purple Heart,
On the beach of Normandy.
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

But that doesn't mean that I want war:
I'm not Republican or Democrat.
But I've gone all around this crazy world,
Just to try to better understand.
An' yes, I do have questions:
I get to ask them because I'm free.
That's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

'Cause I've been to Hiroshima,
An' I've been to the DMZ.
I've walked on the sand in Baghdad,
Still don't have all of the answers I need.
But I guess I wanna know where she's been,
Before she judges and gestures to me,
'Cause she don't like my sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

So I hope that lady in her mini-van,
Turns on her radio and hears this from me.
As she picks up her kids,
From their private school,
An' drives home safely on our city streets.
Or to the building where her church group meets:
Yeah, that's why I've got a sticker for the US Marines,
On the bumper of my S.U.V.

-Bumper of My SUV by Chely Wright
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Didn't I make you proud
Go and lay my life down, when you called my name
I thought I stood for somethin', was doin' the right thing when i went away
Now being back should be so simple but I keep getting these mixed signals from everyone
Why do people sit and judge me
Who ain't seen what I seen or did what I've done

Didn't I burn didn't I bleed enough for you?
I faced your fears, felt pain so you won't have to
Ya didn't I do my best
And wasn't home here when I left?

I've seen boys fall to pieces
Grown men cry out for jesus, til they're black and blue
I thought god was on our side, weren't we supposed to be the good guys that would never lose
Cause I don't see no ticker tape
Or five mile parades, sayin' "thank you son"
Just folks that sit and judge me
Who ain't seen what I've seen or did what I've done

Didn't I burn, didn't I bleed enough for you?
I faced your fears, felt pain so you won't have to
Ya didn't I do my best?
And wasn't home here when i left?

-Didn't I by Montgomery Gentry
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Heaven’s full of heroes
who sacrificed their lives
in service to our Country
so that Liberty survives.

Uniforms of blue or gray,
khaki or olive green;
skin of every color;
young and old and in between.

They fought in many places –
spanning history and time.
Flags wave in their honor still;
in tribute, church bells chime.

In cornfields of America
or on Europe’s distant shore;
Pacific island paradise
or Chosin Reservoir.

In blowing desert sands,
or in jungles’ stifling heat,
on Navy ships or in the air,
or Fallujah’s dusty streets.

It doesn’t matter where they fell
or if we know each name.
What matters is to know that
when their Nation called, they came.

Grateful for their service,
for the precious blood they spilled;
for their sacrifice and courage,
and the duty they fulfilled.

Yes, heaven’s full of heroes –
now part of history.
We treasure what they gave to us –
The Gift of Liberty.

By: Janet Aston Norwood, Gold Star Mother of Sgt Byron W. Norwood, USMC
KIA Fallujah, Iraq – 13 November 2004

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We are a band of sisters
Sent out to you,
With nothing to lose…
Until the day we came to you…
We were just kids if you knew.

Packin' pounds, hurtin' feet,
Pushing sisters til they succeed
Letters adrift, and friends we miss…

We are a band of sisters,
Straight out of high school…
Thought we were rough..
Proved to ourselves that we can be tough.

Momma don't sit by the T.V. screen,
There's nothing to be seen…
Daddy please don't cry for me,
I guess it was meant to be…

We are a band of sisters,
The fewer than the few…
We were just kids if you only knew…

Fighting for freedom in a strange kingdom,
Fighting… just for you…
Sisters die… it's not fair…
But, they don't seem to care…

We were kids once, if you only just knew…
fighting these wars, all for you…
----
No true glory was given to the men,
who fought in Fallujah, a terrorist den.

A cauldron of hatred and evil lived here,
and Marines were again at the tip of the spear.

Zarqawi's base camp was Fallujah's cancer,
and rooting it out was the only answer.

Neither politics nor patience could change this course,
so the order was given to eliminate the source.

Both Marines and Army fought side by side,
to crush a cruel enemy and to turn the tide.

Battalions 1/8, 1/3, 3/1, and 3/5,
the Army's 2-7, and 2-2 went into the hive.

Brave heroes were made as the battle did unfold,
but due to media bias, these tales were not told.

Casualties and Abu Ghraib was instead the news du jour,
with very few exceptions the reporting of valor was poor.

Many were wounded and many did die,
Brothers in arms, they won't be denied.

For warriors of the past there was no true glory,
if there were no songs or poems to tell their brave story.

Unsung, the noblest deeds will surely die.
To the men who fought this historic battle, we salute you - Semper Fi.

By: Corporal DeJohn
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No one ever thought
That our troop hearts will be
For many and for all

War is not easy and just
But if they can make a difference
Their mission will be done

Not many people agree with
This conflict afar
But their honor and commitment
Drives their courage within each other heart and pride

Years have passed and they continuing
To fight this battle away from our land

Many are hurt and many are gone
But their humble heart remain
As the symbol of their humility
And virtues endowed from above

If we can only hold their valor
With faith and hope

Fear not their fate
But the thunder in their spirit of success

Awesome, nothing else needed to be said

Thank you. I collect poems and such cause i use them in my powerpoints sometime for school.

IDK if anyone else had herd this poem/song this last christmas but I herd it for the first time in my truck while I was working. I will be honest it brought a tear to my eye thinking of all the soldiers out there all alone in the cold that not many people were thinking about or even knew about.

For those who have not herd it here is a link to listen to it.

A soldiers silent night



TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, HE LIVED ALL ALONE,

IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,

AND TO SEE JUST WHO IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT, A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,

NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS, NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE, JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,

ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES, AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,

A SOBER THOUGHT CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT, IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,

I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER, ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING, SILENT, ALONE,

CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE, THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,

NOT HOW I PICTURED A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?

CURLED UP ON A PONCHO, THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,

OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD, THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,

AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,

BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS, LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER HOW MANY LAY ALONE,

ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,

I DROPPED TO MY KNEES AND STARTED TO CRY;

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,

"SANTA DON'T CRY, THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM, I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,

MY LIFE IS MY GOD, MY COUNTRY, MY CORPS."

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,

I COULDN'T CONTROL IT, I CONTINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS, SO SILENT AND STILL

AND WE BOTH SHIVERED FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,

THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER, WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,

WHISPERED, "CARRY ON SANTA, IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE."

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH, AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT."