In rememberance of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our nation and its citizens, I am posting the poem, "It is the Soldier," by Charles M. Province. (Thanks to Karl B for posting the complete poem in the comments.)
IT IS THE SOLDIERIt is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.(© Charles M. Province)
Posted by George Moneo at May 29, 2005 12:05 AM
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.babalublog.com/cgi-bin/mt/hut.cgi/1745
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference "It is the soldier" (Updated):
» Memory - 2005 from TacJammer
[This post will remain up top through Monday.] In some peoples' opinions, there is a certain nobility associated with serving in the armed forces, regardless of the service performed. Perhaps this is so. I served, but my contribution in the... [Read More]
Tracked on May 29, 2005 12:46 PM
» 2LT Cowherd, Final Roll Call. from Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..
This is the final chapter of last year's post. To keep in synch, read the post above this if you haven't already. "First Sergeant, Call the Roll." Lieutenant Leonard Cowherd... Lieutenant Leonard Cowherd... Lieutenant Leonard Cowherd... "First Sergeant... [Read More]
Tracked on May 29, 2005 01:41 PM
» In Memoriam (2) from Different River
Seen before, but worth repeating, especially today, as did Babalú Blog.
IT IS THE SOLDIER
By Charles M. Province
It is the soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet
Who has given us ... [Read More]
Tracked on May 30, 2005 12:44 AM
» Beautiful Freedoms from Who Tends the Fires
Another lovely morning, here in TinyVille. I woke up early, got dressed, turned on my computer, surfed the Internet a bit while the sleep filtered out of my veins and the fog cleared from my head. I read my favorite sites, and checked my favorite onlin... [Read More]
Tracked on May 30, 2005 04:51 PM
» Flushing of the flag at Gitmo! from American Warmonger
No, this is not an example of lack of discipline in the ranks. This is an example of lack of common sense in the United States. Let's start with the Qu'ran desecrations. There have been five instances where a U.S.... [Read More]
Tracked on June 18, 2005 10:38 PM
» Flushing of the flag at Gitmo! from Blogcritics
No, this is not an example of lack of discipline in the ranks. This is an example of lack of... [Read More]
Tracked on June 19, 2005 12:09 AM
» Flushing of the flag at Gitmo! from Blogcritics
No, this is not an example of lack of discipline in the ranks. This is an example of lack of... [Read More]
Tracked on June 19, 2005 12:10 AM
Wow George, thank you. I'm sending this to everyone I know.
Posted by: Kathleen at May 29, 2005 12:34 AM
Thanks in the name of all that are serving this country today to guarantee the freedom of all of us. Let me say too that there's a group of undeserving individuals caught in a time warp whose freedom to burn the flag and to spit on the soldiers is also gallantly defended by our soldiers. Take America back, kick a libzilla in the arse!
Posted by: CB at May 29, 2005 12:40 AM
Val - truer words have never been written.
God bless our soldiers and their families.
They deserve nothing but respect and reverance.
Posted by: Kathleen A at May 29, 2005 08:41 AM
I would add one line: It is the soldier who protects those who hate him.
Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at May 29, 2005 01:39 PM
Here's the entire poem
It Is The Soldier
It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
Charles Michael Province, U.S. Army
Posted by: Karl B at May 30, 2005 11:16 AM
The poem should be engraved in stone in a monument to the freedoms that this country affords to all of us.
Posted by: CB at May 30, 2005 02:08 PM
Thank all of you for your kind words. Per the post by "CB" please visit:
http://www.pattonhq.com/koreamemorial.html
where you will see that a version of my poem is, indeed, etched in granite.
God Bless America
Mike Province
The Patton Society
http://www.pattonhq.com
Posted by: Charles M. Province at June 2, 2005 02:04 PM