By Edgar Guest
The finest tribute we can pay
Unto our hero dead today,
Is not a rose wreath, white and red,
In memory of the blood they shed;
It is to stand beside each mound,
Each couch of consecrated ground,
And pledge ourselves as warriors true
Unto the work they died to do.
Into God's valleys where they lie
At rest, beneath the open sky,
Triumphant now o'er every foe,
As living tributes let us go.
No wreath of rose or immortelles
Or spoken word or tolling bells
Will do to-day, unless we give
Our pledge that liberty shall live.
Our hearts must be the roses red
We place above our hero dead;
Today beside their graves we must
Renew allegiance to their trust;
Must bare our heads and humbly say
We hold the Flag as dear as they,
And stand, as once they stood, to die
To keep the Stars and Stripes on high.
The finest tribute we can pay
Unto our hero dead today
Is not of speech or roses red,
But living, throbbing hearts instead,
That shall renew the pledge they sealed
With death upon the battlefield:
That freedom's flag shall bear no stain
And free men wear no tyrant's chain.
As we awake upon this beautiful spring day and breathe the sweet air of freedom, remember that our freedom was bought and paid for with the sweat and blood of many thousands of men who gave their lives, not so much for a parcel of dirt, but for a concept that each man should have the liberty to live his life to his fullest capacity, raise himself and his family under the direction of almighty God and never be forced to suffer under the bondage or tyranny of others. Remember well the sacrifice of our brave warriors who have laid down their lives for the survival of our great nation and for so many others throughout the world in the hopes that one day, all nations will be able to breathe the sweet air of freedom which we so often take for granted.
God bless the souls of those who have fallen in battle for the sake of our freedom. May their deaths never be forgotten by those who reap the fruits of their labor. God bless those who fight today to protect our freedom and secure the freedom of others throughout the world and God bless this great nation that because of the sacrifice of so many, continues to shine as a beacon of freedom to all.
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