Patriot Day - God Bless Each & Every One!

I watched the flag pass by one day,

It fluttered in the breeze.

A young Marine saluted it,

And then he stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud,

With hair cut square and eyes alert,

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him,

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil

How many mothers' tears?

How many pilots' planes shot down?

How many died at sea?

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No, freedom isn't free.

I heard the sound of Taps one night,

When everything was still,

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times,

That Taps had meant "Amen".

When a flag had draped a coffin,

Of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands,

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard,

At the bottom of the sea,

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.

No, freedom isn't free.

Enjoy Your Freedom & God Bless Our Troops

HE'S BEEN FOUND

That most wonderful Marine who did the most wonderful patriotic poem has been found. He is SSgt. Dean, stationed at Cherry Point. Dean has not served in Afghanistan or Iraq but said he would go the second he was asked. He says the poem "isn’t about the experience of fighting a war. It's about what the armed forces do. It's about the military service and the reason we do things," he explained. "We just defend the country, no questions asked. As a family, we do it. The poem was just utmost admiration and respect for the individuals that are there. ... They've answered the country's call." Kudos to this gentleman. No matter why he wrote it....the thoughts and feelings it brings forth is just awesome.

We should get hold of Semper Fi Mom since she is now in the same vicinity as Dean, and have her give him a truly big Marine Mom hug!!

Lest We Forget...

After you have read Mr. Haugen's poem in the previous post, visit his website for information about his CD entitled "Lest We Forget". It won Patriotic Album of the Year in the Hawaii Music Awards. Here are some quotes about the CD from the site.

The new recording features some patriotic songs and some of the award-winning songs that have helped the community focus on events such as the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. The CD includes two stirring poems, patriotic hits, four songs related to the USS Arizona, one for those who are buried in our National Memorial Cemeteries-- from Punchbowl to Arlington -- plus other new and old songs, even a couple of memorable poems, all guaranteed to warm your heart and give you pause to reflect.

He's sending me the CD and I can't WAIT!! I know it will be wonderful. It will probably be one that I can't listen to in the car for fear of tears clouding up my vision. ;)

Here's what you’ll hear on the new CD:

1. Lest We Forget (a poem) read by Don

2. BB39 a Gordon Freitas song about a young sailor on the USS Arizona on
Dec. 6, 1941, recorded here for the first time, sung by Gordon

3. Peaceful Arizona, the award-winning Freitas song about that famous Hawai`i
landmark, sung by Gordon

4. We Still Care, the Pearl Harbor Commemorative Song sung by Keith
and the Sounds of Aloha Chorus. This was sung in the 50th anniversary events
at Pearl and was the theme song for the 1991 Aloha Bowl half-time show.

5. Yes, We Remember, narrated by US Senator Daniel K. Inouye, the only
member of the US Senate to win a Congressional Medal of Honor, with original
piano score by Bob Nelson.

6. In Flanders Fields (a 1918 poem by Dr. John McCrae) read by Don

7. Walking Through The Memories, a Requiem to the Fallen, also by
Haugen, was premiered in the 2001 Armed Forces Day Combined Military Band
Concert at the Hawai`i Theatre, and helped Keith win this year's Aloha Spirit
Award from the Chamber of Commerce of Hawai`i. This is a tribute in song to
all those buried in our National Memorial Cemeteries. Keith has the lead.

8. Whisper 'Semper Fi,' (The Ballad of the Leatherneck) by Haugen and
Freitas, is premiered on this recording. It is about an aging US Marine who
appears to have been forgotten by his family and country, sung by Gordon

9. Ballad of the Green Beret, the 60s hit by Sgt. Barry Sadler, sung here by
Keith, Don, and Gordon, just as they performed it in the 2000 Veterans Day
Concert in the Atherton Performing Arts Studio

10. Danny Boy, one of the most famous songs ever about a son going off to war,
sung by Don.

11. Cease Fire, A Christmas Song is one of the most unusual Christmas songs
ever written.Haugen wrote this during another Middle East war in the 1980s. It is sung by Keith.

12. Patriotic Medley includes This Land is Your Land,God Bless America, and
The Stars and Stripes Forever, sung by Keith, Don & Gordon

See what I mean about tears? I can just tell it's going to be great. In Flander's Fields is one of my favorite poems.

To Be A Marine

This poem was written by Lubbock Marine Parents member, Pam, in honor of her son Eric (pictured below). It will be a year tomorrow since he left for bootcamp and she is so proud of him.


TO BE A MARINE

You have chosen to fight for your country,
Regardless of what others have said.
You fight for our freedoms and our way of life
So we can sleep soundly in bed.

You are doing what you feel is right
Without praise or reward to be seen.
For you feel the honor in your heart
When you're down praying on bended knee.

You are away from all those you love
Not sure what the future may hold
But you continue to stand at your post
Through the blistering heat or the freezing cold.

Marines have a Code of Conduct
For Honor is their creed
They stand tall and fast and with great pride
As only a Marine can be.