Veterans Day

There are times that we remember vividly. For me as Veterans Day gets closer, one of those days, November 10th, 1988, comes back to me vividly. I was the EOD Team Leader responding to a Suspect Package (suspect bomb) at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Wall is eerie at night, it is even eerier if you are the only one there. This is a poem about that night's events.

"On a day we all remember, A day I can’t forget. A cold night in November, When a comrade paid his debt.

It was a box so pretty, with gift wrapping so dear. A gift to the long departed, to a buddy who was near

The time of day was evening, when the policeman found the box. With six months to retire, he evacuated the block.

When my Bomb Squad team arrived there, the Wall was silent as the deep. Walking down the path, my soul began to weep.

I was not alone there, friends long past still visit. But they wish to be there, among their buds who made it.

On this day that haunts me, a comrade had come back. To leave his buddy a gift, in short to pay him back.

When I finally opened the box, a six pack did I discover. A tribute to all who served, a toast for all the years.

And tucked under a tab, a business card was signed. For on the card was written, “thank you for my life.”