Memorial Day | Poem by Vernon Riker
An Honor Roll of World War II Veterans was by the post office on Fifth Avenue in 1944, Sixty-eight men were listed on the board.
Freedom
Memorial Day, May 26, 2003
Today is a day we honor our dead,
We'll hoist our flag and lift up our head.
We salute the fallen with a speech or a party,
Our freedom made possible by the brave and the hardy.
Our young have died in those far away places,
God help us remember their names and their faces.
For each is a son, daughter, father or mother,
And the sacrifice made transcends any other.
The Bible tells us, no greater love can we send,
Than to lay down our life for that of a friend.
Our soldiers have died in many wars past,
They must die in the future for freedom to last.
As a nation our duty is to all our war dead,
To stay strong and vigilant, to eliminate dread.
America sends soldiers not to conquer a land,
But just to liberate and lend a hand.
When our mission is finished these people will know,
Why we die for this freedom we cherish so.
by Vernon Riker
"Papa"
