USA Patriotism! ... "Showcasing Pride of America"USA Store! ... American / Patriotic themed gift products at USA Patriotism!

Home - Articles - USA's Birth - Great Patriots - Heroes - Honor Halls - Music - Photos
Poems - Quotes - Reference - Speeches - Stars for Troops - Stories - Student Patriots
Videos - New Content
- About - Contact - Submit - Press
- CureNow - Donate
- Privacy

Click Here To Google Search
 For USA Patriotism! Content
USA Patriotism! YouTube Channel Join / Like the USA Patriotism! Facebook pagePinterestLinkedInUSA Patriotism! Instagram ChannelUSA Patriotism! On TwitterUSA Patriotism! at Flickr

Patriotic Poems
Troops & Veterans

Patritoic USA and Military Gifts from The Bradford Exchange Tough Tex USA Flag
 
Collectibles, apparel, and other gifts ... for Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors, and veterans!  
 

Contributor: Thurman P. Woodfork || Poem Categories

Speeches and Medals country as flag
The weapons have changed,
But the soldiers are the same:
So proclaims a TV commercial
Advertising a game.

Through all the gory turmoil
Of Man's contentious history,
The Cohorts and the Tommies,
The GIs like you and me,

Mostly drift away, forgotten,
Once our patriotic duty is done,
Designated �Yesterday's Heroes'
When there are no wars to be won

Or age and infirmity have
So affected our reflexes
We can no longer swiftly react
To the demands of war's excesses.

Wounded bodies and psyches,
Mangled in those glorious wars,
Get bandages, speeches, and medals
And precious little more.

Proud veterans bearing scars, both
Visible and hidden from sight,
Wear those medals on special days,
But some secretly weep at night,

Haunted by thoughts and visions
Bandages and medals cannot ease,
Forever beset by stalking demons
No speech will ever appease.
By Thurman P. Woodfork
Copyright 2007
Listed February 26, 2011
 

About Author... Thurman P. Woodfork (Woody) spent his Air Force career as a radar repairman in places as disparate as Biloxi, Mississippi; Cut Bank, Montana; Tin City, Alaska; Rosas, Spain and Tay Ninh, Vietnam. In Vietnam, he was assigned to Detachment 7 of the 619th Tactical Control Squadron, a Forward Air Command Post located on Trai Trang Sup. Trang Sup was an Army Special Forces camp situated about fifty miles northwest of Saigon in Tay Ninh province, close to the Cambodian border. After Vietnam, Woody remained in the Air Force for nine more years.

Visit Thurman P. Woodfork's site for more information

It is illegal to use this poem without the author's permission.
~~ Send your comments and/or use permission request to
Thurman P. Woodfork. ~~

Poem Use Permission Request
USA Patriotism! cannot provide use permission for a poem or an author's email address if not listed below the poem. Only the author or a legal representative can grant permission. Try a search engine to find the author's contact information for a use permission request or if it is available for public use.
Note: Poems authored in the 1700s and 1800s can be used with reference to the author.

Comment on this poem

USA Gifts Store! ... over 1,000 American / Patriotic themed products at USA Patriotism! USA / Americana theme ... polo shirts, t-shirts, shorts, hats, caps, swimwear, sweatshirts, hoodies, hats, jackets, under garments, and other apparel items American Pride: Poems Honoring America and Her Patriots! by David G. Bancroft
Troops and Veterans Poems | Poem Categories