A Veteran’s Eulogy
By Cliff Tholen
When the flag is finally folded
And the mourners have bid their good bye
And Taps from a trumpet of golden
Fades soft in the mid-morning sky
The soldier has finished his duty
He now returns to the earth
To once more add to the beauty
To the soil of the land of his birth
He thought of himself as a soldier
He relished his service with pride
Though memories inside would smolder
He kept all the pain deep inside
When called on to service his country
He went off to serve without thought
And wore his awards most humbly
That honored the battles he fought
He fought many battles with rifles
And many more battles within
That challenged his very survival
But dealt with it all to the end
He lies in a field of white crosses
A place set to honor his peers
The final repose of those losses
Where valor alone perseveres
The chapter now finally closes
From his final formation dismissed
So shower his casket with roses
And thank God there are men such as this.