I grew up surrounded by heroes, whose deeds I never knew,
now most of them are gone, like the misty morning dew.
They fought to make the world a better place to be,
so I could take for granted, I was safe and I was free.
And if I ever asked them to talk about the War,
they would talk around it, sparin’ me the gore.
“Liberty in Dago, “The English folks are nice,
“Hard to fill y’er tummy on Filipino rice.
“Almost got to Paris, December Forty-Four,
“After Pearl Harbor, I signed up for the Corps.
When it all was over, they quietly returned,
to put away the medals all of them had earned.
They’d maybe join the Legion or the V.F.W,
only they could know the hell they all went through.
They picked up the pieces of their shattered lives,
got jobs and educations, mortgages and wives.
They did their civic duty, lifting up our town,
always there to help, I rarely saw them frown.
Coaching Little League, teaching in the schools,
standin’ up in church and following the rules.
They plowed their furrows straight,
and they tried to end all hate.
They lifted up our land, they made a better world,
always stnadin’ proud when the colors were unfurled.
My world was full of heroes who mostly went unsung,
may they be remembered when Freedom’s Bell is rung.
LDT Mar 24, ‘22
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Outlaws, Outrages and Outright Lies 
At least Lawrence got a little bit of his due. Your poem is true…about how most veterans put their war away in a drawer with their metals and going on with their life (if they can) and we do take our freedom for granted. I liked this one, cuz.
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It always seemed to me that the WWII vets did a better job of adjusting after the War. Vietnam Vets, not so much. We seem to get more PTSD from no-win wars.
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