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| This site owned by Jackie Lane |
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| Five Brothers
The five brothers stood together shoulder to shoulder Their faces bowed down, watching the ceremony below These five brothers were not blood brothers Nor brothers in the legal sense as well They watched as the American flag snapped in the breeze at half staff Beneath, the POW flag also snapped in time They watched as six escorts carried a flag draped coffin Slowly, the coffin was lowered to the straps above the grave as the Honor Guard stepped back one-step At parade rest, each of them proud of this detail The five brothers looked at each other approvingly For they had been there, and done that They looked and saw the seven-person rifle squad Also at parade rest, their weapons leaning outward The two buglers were ready at opposite corners of the small cemetery Ready to play the haunting sound of TAPS with an echo Softly, they heard the honor guard and rifle team come to attention Above, the five brothers came to attention as well For they now looked down to see the flag from the coffin slowly raised up They watched as the honor guard prepared to fold the flag With dignified reverence, the flag was properly folded and prepared Till the flag was in the tri-corner shape with the blue field and stars on top Slowly, the senior member secured the flag in between his hands He presented the flag to the family and slowly saluted the flag The rifle team became ready with their weapons pointed heavenward "Ready, Aim, Fire" is the command three times Those in uniform salute their fallen comrade As the team fires, everyone jerks and tears start to flow unashamed The haunting tones of Taps begins from one corner Chills are sent thru everyone as the second bugle begins to echo The five brothers look at each other and nod approval Not a tear in their eyes as they can cry no more The five look down and wave forward their next brother The five brothers are no more for now they are six All brothers with one identical reason For they had all been killed in combat Never to feel the shock and trauma to their bodies They now stand in line, shoulder to shoulder, the oldest one first In order they were WWI, WWII, Korea, then Vietnam, Desert Storm and now War on Terror. |
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