TRIBUTE

TRIBUTE
Peppered through the pages
Of the World’s long history,
Are stories of the battles fought
With pride and bravery.

Each skirmish whether won or lost
Was cause to celebrate
As we honoured those brave souls
Who saved our democratic state.

Today’s an anniversary of the
Wars that kept us free
And the brave young men that died
While defending you and me.

The Diggers from both World Wars
Are remembered with respect,
For their selfless acts of valour
When called on to protect.

Most soldiers from the first World War
Have finally found some peace;
As their bodies lay beneath the earth
Their nightmares at last cease.

From the shaky Isles, New Zealand,
And our own Australian corps
Was an army known as Anzacs
Sent to die on foreign shore.

Diggers died there by the thousands
And still they held their ground;
For no matter what it cost them,
By their honour they were bound.

Alas the freedom they secured
Was threatened yet again,
By an evil man named Hitler
Who brought the Jews great pain.

The newest breed of soldiers
Rose to fight once more.
Their families wept in earnest
As they sailed from our shore.

For many years the battle raged,
Each Country chose a side.
Hitler and his cohorts
Couldn’t stem the Allied tide.

The Germans and Italians were
Humbled by our mighty throngs;
The Japanese surrendered when
Hit by atomic bombs.

For many years the Leaders
Shied away from making war.
U.S.A. and Russia had built
Nuclear Arms by the score.

Now we had outdone ourselves
With our love for martial law,
If a third world war erupted
Our earth would be no more.

Smaller wars have since been
Waged by Leaders of the West,
Vietnam was one of them~
Again we sent our best.

Conscription was the way the
Leaders forced them to obey,
They didn’t want to kill or maim;
They didn’t have much say.

This time was very different
For a child could be the one
To catch you off your guard
And kill you with a gun.

Imagine trusting no one here
Except your closest mate;
No wonder they reacted
With such ferocity and hate.

Aged nineteen when ripped away
From everyone they knew;
No chance to marry sweethearts
And have children as we do.

Like the Souls of Wars long past,
These men obeyed our law;
Their only choice was go to jail
Or else to fight once more.

This time around the people
Of our countries wanted out;
We fought our Governments
To ensure it came about.

This should have been a day
To celebrate our men’s return.
Instead to our eternal shame
These veterans we did spurn.

The men returned a broken shell
Of who they once had been;
Their nights were filled with screams
From fear; and horrors they had seen.

A dawn parade of Warriors
Is seen on April twenty five,
Paying tribute to all those who
Never made it back alive.

When next you are watching
All the soldiers marching by,
Remember men who were forced
To fight for all alone they cry.