Many thanks to John from www.OldChesterPa.com for the use of this Photo.
Soon it will be Memorial Day. I always become nostalgic at this time of year. As a child in the 1950's I recall that Memorial Day was the biggest holiday of the year. I lived in one of the row homes visible in the photo above. I could see Soldier's circle from my bedroom. On Memorial day there was a huge parade (High School bands, American Legion, VFW, Women's Auxillary, etc.) that culminated with a Military Gun Salute at the Soldier's Circle. Everyone attended and it was quite a spectacle for the youngsters in the neighborhood. Years later, my own father, and fathers of friends ...and then friends... were put to rest at this site. As the Vietnam War came along there was such devisiveness that the attendance dropped ... the honor changed .... the tradition subsided somewhat. This always troubled me.
I was very fortunate (and for years a little guilt-ridden) that I didn't end up in Nam as so many of my friends did. The devisiveness that existed then was often mis-directed at the soldiers as they returned to a completely different country than they had left. There doesn't seem to be the bitterness toward the soldiers from the protestors this time in an unpopular war ... but those of a certain age know well how easily that could happen. Hopefully it won't, and that is the point of this post. I hope that everyone can take the time this year on Memorial day to visit the local cemetery near them .. and thank a soldier .... they deserve it. And if by chance, you know a soldier... or run into a soldier .... look him or her in the eye ... and say thanks .... it really does mean something.
That said, here is a set of lyrics I wrote in 1987 as an attempt at reconciliation with my own feelings about wars that were accepted ... wars that were not ... but mostly about Soldiers published here for the first time. Thanks, guys and gals. Happy Memorial Day
Soldier’s Circle
I remember at ten years old
All the stories that the old men told
A celebration and a big parade
To honor men for a price they paid
And people would line up on the Avenue
As men from the VFW
Marched to Soldier’s Circle
Amidst the flowers and the tears
Not long after our time came
But it never really felt the same
The people never could agree
That the fight we had was for liberty
And when they sent the young men home
There was no parade they were left alone
To their own devices
They had no flowers, only tears
After eight long years gone by
And still no answer to the question … why?
These boys; they made their own parade
And built their own place in the shade
From everywhere the people came
And traced the wall for a lost friend’s name
No Soldier’s Circle
But they had the flowers and the tears
And now my father is resting there
Inside that circle where we learned to share
Mixed feelings that ripped us all apart
And damned near broke a country’s heart
And once a year I travel home
To that place and I stand, alone
In Soldier’s Circle
Amidst the flowers and the tears
Copyright,1987 GN, Upland, PA. All rights reserved
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