A Tribute to Viet Nam Vets

Today a parade passed by
And as I watched with pride
From my window,
I heard a young boy cry.

Mommy look at that man over there
He's dressed like a soldier
And he's in a wheel chair

His uniform looks old
And his hair is so long
And why is he singing
"Why can't we get along?"

Mommy what's that medal
He's wearing on his chest
It's purple and it's shaped, like a heart,
I guess

And how come he's crying
And some other men too
How come they don't look proud,
Like those other soldiers do?

Hey ma look up over there
In that window, a man in a chair
He's wearing a camouflage
Uniform, see
And he's waving a flag
And he's looking at me

And from my window
I heard his mother say
" Honey, he's a soldier
from another day'

He's waving that flag,
and he's looking at you
Because you are the future
And there's so much that you could do
To put a stop to war, violence and hate
You see my son, he tried,But for him, it's just too late

When he was a young man
Still full of hope and full of pride
He was in a war,
In which a lot of people died
And now he sees the same thing
Happening again
So he waves his flag to you
As a soldier and a friend

And he hopes that when you're grown
You will not forget
That the biggest war there is
Hasn't been won yet
It's the war we have to fight
To bring peace to all the land
And because you are the future,
The key to peace is in your hand

So wave back to him dear son
And salute that Viet Nam vet
And remember the man in the window,
For he's not likely to forget…

Written by Caroll McKeon 9-30-04
Copyright by Caroll McKeon 9-30-04