Bill Sykes' Newsletter
from America.
(December 2004)
An ex-Brit gives his views-(without fear
or favor)---of the American Scene
The
Regimental Soldier :
I
have obtained permission from the author, Mr. Lawrence
Vaincourt, www.vaincourt.homestead.com to
publish this poem from his excellent book of contemporary
poetry, entitled "Just a common soldier - (A soldier
died today)".
Readers may remember that I used one of Mr. Vaincourt’s poems in the
Mid-November 2003, Remembrance Day issue of View from America”.
Something
to think about this Veteran’s day the
11 th of November 2004:
If you met him dressed in civvies you would pass him
with a smile,
He’s a regular Joe, an ordinary man,
But because he is a soldier he’s the guy that you must hate.
And it is your job to kill him if you can.
He has never done you evil, he’s a normal guy
like you,
Has a home he loves, some children and a wife,
But because he wears a uniform that’s different from your own,
It’s
your duty to deprive him of his life.
He’s an ordinary fellow, yes he’s quite
a decent guy,
And to have him as a friend might have been
fun,
He could have been married to your sister had the circumstances been changed,
But now you must destroy him with a gun.
He’s the regimental soldier, just an ordinary
man,
Who’s been told his duty is to go and fight,
And
he’ll kill a perfect stranger, someone he
has never met,
’Cause they told him you are wrong and he is right.
No, he didn’t start the war you fight, he’d
rather live in peace.
He had enough to satisfy his need,
It’s the evil politicians with their senseless lust for power,
And a mad desire to satisfy their greed.
It’s the ones who build the weapons, it’s
the ones who lust for fame,
It’s the ones who hate,
without a reason why,
Who support the awful carnage that
the world still knows as war,
And feel it’s right
that someone else should die.
For it’s not the sons of wealthy men who march
away to war,
Who struggle on the battlefield and die,
In the same
sad tale repeated through the centuries, more and more,
It’s the offspring of the ordinary guy.
And so someone is the victim, someone strikes the mortal
blow,
With each convinced that he is right,
And I’m sure the final battle that
this world will ever know,
Is the one where soldiers all refuse to fight.
Having been peripherally involved in World War Two,
and the Palestinian conflict shortly thereafter, ('a
Serving of His Majesty the King), I heartily concur with
Mr. Vaincourt’s sentiments.
We welcome feedback about any of the contents of these
newsletters. Please send all correspondence to bill_sykes@huddersfield1.co.uk
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