Since I was lost in a haze of post-birthday party …
Since I was lost in a haze of post-birthday party stupidity and had nothing profound or memorable to say about Memorial Day this year, I’ve decided to piggyback onto Protein Wisdom’s beautiful offering and repost it here in belated tribute:
If you are able,
save for them a place
inside of you
and save one backward glance
when you are leaving
for the places they can
no longer go.
Be not ashamed to say
you love them,
though you may
or may not have always.
Take what they have left
and what they have taught you
with their dying
and keep it with your own.
And in that time
when men decide and feel safe
to call the war insane,
take one moment to embrace
those gentle heroes
you left behind.
– Major Michael Davis O’Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam