"Echoes of Valor: Remembering and Celebrating Our Veterans"

Joseph Clementi

Another funeral procession, another flag draped over a young soul,

Another soldier lost amid rhetoric in the halls of the elected.

Another war wrapped in turmoil, seeking control,

Another veteran forgotten for the conflict they were selected.

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People living in cardboard houses along city streets,

Whispers of surrender as they drift in obscurity, anonymity.

Snifters of whiskey and drugs drown the call for peace,

Fragments of warfare replaying as they search for serenity.

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Ordnance falls in relentless succession, echoing fear of death,

A constant dread of becoming yet another statistic.

They watch as the comrade beside them draws a final breath,

A looping reel of horrors, revealing war’s darkest, twisted truths.

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They return home from battles they were not allowed to win,

Facing horrors they never imagined, yet bravely endured,

Living with memories and scars of the war within,

Battling sights and sounds that their minds cannot cure.

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Every 72 minutes, a veteran slips into silence,

Overcome by anger they can no longer suppress,

Shrouded in guilt and sadness they can’t conceal,

Seeking release from pain they can no longer repress.

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Memorials rise for those who fell,

Names etched in stone, veiled in marble,

White crosses aligned, stretching as far as one can tell,

Honoring a moment in time we now can only marvel.

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We remember in silence as the procession line passes,

A trail of cars stretching as far as the eye can see,

Fire trucks with raised ladders, flags at half-mast,

Strangers shedding tears for a soldier they’ll never meet.

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Today, on this day of national remembrance,

We pause to share our gratitude for the sacrifice—

For the few, the proud, the honorable men and women,

For the lost souls draped in stars and stripes.

? 2024 Joseph Clementi. All rights reserved.

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? 2024 Joseph Clementi. All rights reserved.

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