A Salute

A salute to our dad and his brothers when counted were four
These four brothers went off to fight in a war
When it was done and the war had been won
Three brothers came home whole but not the first one
He had been shot with a hole in his back missing his chest
Reported dead then alive and then sent home
But not exactly like the rest

Full of shrapnel and shell shocked but glad to come home
To his wife, our mother, who calmed the nightmares and the moans and groans
He was awarded the Purple Heart of which he wanted no part
For him the real heroes died on the beach that day
Our dad was the only one to live and get away
He never spoke of that experience until his last months on earth
The horrors he saw, what the cost of war was really worth

Four boys went to war, four men came home
Forever changed, forever grown
Some for the better and all for the wiser
No longer alive but their memories survive
Through generations of families their stories are known
All thanks be to God Who brought all four home!